Presentation

In the morning, Xin Tuyong woke with severe grogginess. His throbbing head was muddled to the point where he could barely recall anything in the recent past.

He tried to test himself by remembering what he ate for breakfast the previous day. He failed.

At the very least, he could remember important bits of his presentation, but not smoothly enough without reviewing.

He couldn't afford to degrade Huan Mao by being unprepared, so he gathered his notes and went back up to the office for the file itself, hoping with all his heart that it would be unlocked.

As he turned the opened the door, a flood of memories sucked him in like a vortex and he relived the memories of the night before against his will.

Finding the office locked. Entering a room at the end of the hall. A secret closet with shelves of wearable technology. The fear and panic.

In a flash, Xin Tuyong snapped back to reality, but his chest burned in the echoes of fear and he wiped his palms down his trousers.

Forget it, he told himself. Just get the files.

It irked him that somehow in the last few hours, the office went from locked to unlocked. What reason would someone have to lock a room for a few hours at night, but allow anyone in during the day?

Nothing was adding up when it came to Huan Mao. And the only person he could ask was her cold right-hand man, Di Gaohun, who was already burdened with infinite tasks.

Sighing, Xin Tuyong located the file and checked its contents to make sure everything was in it.

Everything was in its place, so he left in the car that waited for him outside. In the last few months, he gained more and more independence from Huan Mao, taking more solo trips to the different areas he was needed in.

Only in rare cases did Huan Mao travel with the him or the group as a whole, and since her injury she hadn't gone anywhere with them at all. She regularly worked "at the office," wherever that was.

His solo business trips were a little daunting initially, but he made sure he was always prepared and on time. It was exhausting traveling so much in a single day even once a month, but each trip stayed within the borders of China.

He had to travel in silence for hours, go to the meeting, and immediately travel back. On the way there he kept himself busy, but without Huan Mao or Di Gaohun to talk to, he usually fell asleep on the way back.

Sometimes he wouldn't get home until the next day because of the long distance coupled with the heavy traffic.

Xin Tuyong exited the building after finishing the meeting, file under his arm. He had just located the car when his phone rang.

It was his friend, Fan Qentian, who helped him get back on his feet in the first place. Ever since Xin Tuyong got his cellphone, they texted often but never got the opportunity to meet up again.

Fan Qentian was a hard worker who was always busy working or taking care of his family, so the last time they met up was about two years ago.

"Hello?" Xin Tuyong answered as he entered the car.

"Hey, Xin Tuyong! How have you been doing? I've finally gotten a break from work for the rest of the week... Do you have any plans tomorrow? Let's go drinking!" His chatty friend barely gave him the opportunity to answer him. "How about it? It's shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Xin Tuyong laughed at his pushy friend. "Aren't you busy with the kids? I don't want them to have a grudge against me for stealing you away from them."

"They have school and then both of them are having a sleepover with their friends. My wife said she doesn't mind, plus she's tired from working so hard these days. You know how it is..."

Xin Tuyong didn't know how it was because he was still single, but he gave an understanding noise of response as Fan Qentian continued, "So how about it? Tomorrow at eight, let's meet at this new restaurant in S City! I'll send you the details..."