The Start Of Her Work

November 9, 20XX (Friday)

Y Building, Beijing

The sun at 3 o'clock had always been the hottest. This time, it was the reason why sleeping beauty had to awaken. Her eyes fluttering as it was hit by the sun that peaked between the curtains of the large French double doors that lead to a balcony. The beauty turned against the sun before opening her eyes immediately at the shock of not recognizing the place she was in.

Mei Li got up abruptly; her hair messy and her body uncomfortable with sleeping with a bra on. She shifted to look at her dim room, squinting her eyes in the process. Her hands patting her bedside in search for her phone. Upon hitting a wire, she followed it and was glad to find her phone fully charged. When she unlocked it, Mei Li notice the only text that Yang had sent her, 「Good Morning, Sleeping Beauty. I'm at work and Mom is probably sleeping off her jet lag too…Just go downstairs if you want to eat. Don't be a stranger.-Yang」

She quickly replied, 「Did you eat lunch? Wasn't I suppose to prepare it for you?」

Yang, who was on the conference room speaking with the interior designer, quickly read the text he received knowing it was Mei Li by the programmed tone and replied feeling his heart lighten, 「You can start on Monday. By the way, the interior designer is here… Can you talk to her for a while? She's asking me for ideas again.」

When he pressed the send button, he did not expect for her to call immediately. Fumbling to answer his phone, Yang gained the interest of the middle-aged interior designer.

"Hey," Yang answered while signalling at the interior designer to wait for a while which was replied with a nonverbal yes.

"Put me on speaker phone," Mei Li's voice was soft instead of the rough tone that was usually present when a person just woke up. Yang had melted once again at her tone. Her voice did wonders to his heart; makes him want to cocoon her into his arms. Her voice was like the drumstick that beat the drums of his heart as Mei Li was the player.

The CEO put his phone at the centre of the table after pressing the speaker phone button and then said, "You can talk now."

"Hello, I'm Wu Mei Li. CEO Zhao had asked for my help with the interior designs. Would it be possible if you contact me about these and not him? He can give you my contact details."

The interior designer glanced up at the CEO who just nodded at her, motioning for her to reply with a hand placing briefly on top of his phone. The middle-aged woman answered, "Nice to meet you, Miss Wu, I am Fuller Trisha from I.A.I. Interior Designs. Can we possibly meet soon so I can show you some of the sketches and other pieces of furniture that needed to be bought but has not been approved."

There was a minute long silence that made the designer nervous. Had she said something wrong?

"I see, CEO Zhao has not decided on anything at all?"

Trisha was born and raised in Texas, USA, she knew how much a woman's boiling anger sound like and the woman on the phone sounded like her mother when she would explode to her father.

Trisha responded immediately, "He had given me full control but because of my contract, I have to ask him certain things and he had not fully chosen even a certain colour for the wall of his new office."

"...Stupid CEO, you're making me work that much!" Mei Li shouted after a certain pause. Yang could imagine her fuming face, red in anger and pouting with helplessness.

Trisha was pleasantly surprised at the outburst. She might have been a foreigner but she knew how much unapproachable and scary the CEO in front of her was. In all of her clients, The CEO was the most unpredictable and the most chilling to be on a meeting with.

To hear him being shouted at even through a call, made the designer dumbfounded especially when the man just said, "Sorry, I'll make it up to you. Besides, You lost the challenge…"

"Fine but this work will also be the payment of me using your black card in Milan." Offered Mei Li, knowing Yang had no idea on what to do. The painter cursed her bleeding heart; she had only used that card for food and it would not even total a person's monthly salary!

"Alright, you can use the card anytime this month for the payment." Murmured Yang, embarrassed at his helplessness in front of a stranger because of Mei Li.

'This woman is going to be the ruin of my carefully made reputation' He thought while listening to the designer talking specifics with Mei Li. They began talking colours that sounded like Latin to his ears. He began tapping his fingers on the desk, waiting for them to finish the call but when 20 minutes had passed and they showed no sign of stopping did he blurted out, "Mei Li, can you come here early on Monday so you can talk to her in person."

"Oh right! It's better if we talk in person, I'll see you on Monday, Miss Trisha."

"I'll be here on 10 am, Miss Mei Li. Would that be alright with you?"

"Of course! Of course!" Mei Li immediately agreed.

Yang's eye narrowed. Did the two women bond while talking about colours that they can use each other's first name comfortably soon after? He contemplated if he could learn the different shades of every colour so he could bond with Mei Li too.

He stared at the thick pile of papers he needed to look through and give up that thought immediately, he was far too busy. Before closing his phone, he briefly stared at his wallpaper for energy.