Help From Mei Li

November 6, 20XX (Tuesday)

The Grand Royal Palace Hotel- Milan

It was an early morning in Milan when a steaming cup of coffee placed on the bedside table near the fancy Victorian double bed. The milky white skin left the premise of the table with a tap of her finger on the light colored wood.

The morning light that peeked into the room brightened the room as the nymph-like beauty breathed in deeply the cold autumn air that seemed to seep through her thick pajamas and into her skin.

Mei Li exhaled the large gulp of air before turning towards another hurdle in her life. She counted large and small paper bags piled on top of the little vanity chair and into the vanity table with some litter on the side of the door while the largest portion was in the open closet that could not close because it was stuff full with garment bags of varying colors and designer brands.

Her 24 inches luggage could not even hold half of these items. She had repeated this dilemma to Mother Zwood, but she had just waved her off and proceeded to buy another set of clothes for her to wear. No matter how much she had insisted that enough was enough, Mother Zhao had once again waved her off. Her enough was not enough for the Zhao matriarch.

With a problematic sigh, she took the inside in all the small paper bags and put it inside a larger paper bag. She gently places it inside, worried if the boxes would be destroyed thus lessening the protection of the expensive items inside.

Mei Li was in the process of organizing her things bought by Mother Zhao with Yang's money which she was unknowing off to notice her phone vibrating with texts after texts. It had been vibrating for 2 hours, in fact, but because she focused on the things she needed to take care of; it had escaped her notice.

It was nearing lunch that the texts stopped and her phone finally rang with the same cliched love song of a ringtone. Mei Li jumped in surprised with wide eyes looking at the direction of her phone; there is only one person who had that ringtone programmed in her phone. No matter how much she tried to change it, it would just return to being that same cliched love song after a while.

"What is it?" Mei Li picked up the called and asked with little annoyance marred in her face.

Yang's voice floated into her eardrum like the deep rumbling of thunder on a beautiful rainy night, "What are you doing?"

"…Trying to pack things…"

"Mom's things too much? You don't need to pack it on a suitcase since you're traveling on a private plane, just let the bodyguards carry the paper bags. It would be a hassle if you had to take everything out."

Yang chuckled with delight at her uneasy tone. The painter could not hear it, but Yang could easily hear the soft pent off and helpless tone in her voice.

Mei Li's helplessness vanished like the vapors of boiling water and said with a pout that made her already sultry voice more sing-song than normal, "Why didn't I think of that?"

"It comes with the experience of traveling with my dear mother," Yang's reply made Mei Li's eyebrows raise in curiosity. Was it just her or did Yang's voice became rough and his breathing more labored? Did something happen in Beijing with Yang?

Mei Li snorted before replying with clear amusement, deciding not to mind Yang's much courser tone, "Do you need the experience to travel with Mother Zhao, next time you'll tell me I need to have a bachelor's degree in Behavioral Analysis to travel with you."

"You'll just have to bring yourself, and I'll take care of the rest."

Mei Li shivered at his tone as if there was a soft finger tracing every bone on her spine from her neck to the bottom before she rolled her eyes and quickly diverted their conversation to safer topics, "So why did you call?

"Do I need to have a reason to call?" His voice still deep making Mei Li more bothered than ever.

"Alright, I'm hanging up now." She hastily said hoping he would stop teasing her.

"Wait! I have a reason. Don't be hasty!" His voice hurried and a bit higher and a lot louder now, showing his panicked state. Yang heard Mei Li's soft sniggers even if she had covered her mouth to muffle the sound.

Meanwhile, in Beijing, Yang melted in his seat upon hearing that bell-like giggle- the same one he had heard in Paris. Was it already a week since he last saw her? Felt like forever ago that was. The stress from the previous days had vanished upon hearing her happiness. He tapped the dark brown wood that made up his desk and drawled like a fox, "Since you offered your services because you lost on our challenge…"

Yang ignored Mei Li's muttering of, "We didn't even issue any consequences before. You're really cashing on my lost?"

"I would like your help with the choices needed for the interior designer's plans." Yang briefly told the painter, not being bothered to explain further.

Mei Li audibly huffed with frustration, "Explain further, you shameless stalker."

This time it was the CEO that chuckled. Mei Li melted from the deep voice, and be boneless at his proceeding words, "I've decided to buy the lot and the building that I've been leasing and combining the four other companies that I've inherited, the IT company I started, and the new IT company I just bought… so there are more people moving in, offices to be built, and the likes."

Mei Li briefly admired the nonchalant way Yang had told her of his achievements. He had just returned to Beijing in one week, and he had already bought a company, talk about capabilities in a dozen. She knew even before not to underestimate this opponent.

The painter carefully asked, "…and you want my help with what again?"

"The interior designer I hired have questions about what color to paint on a certain wall, what to put on a certain corner, what paintings to put on a certain wall, what room a certain thing should be in, the length of the office cubicles, and the like."

"Why aren't you deciding these?" Mei Li chuckled knowing the answer already but still asking just to annoy the CEO which would have worked if the CEO was not Zhao 'shameless' Yang.

"I wouldn't be the businessman I am today without taking advantage of a beautiful woman's abilities…"

Mei Li swore with endless abandon to herself. She was not blushing, damn it! Her empty left hand touched her left cheek in embarrassment as the red tint crept into her pale flesh and the flattered smile that unknowingly appeared on her lips made the room rejoice on the soft tenderness that emitted in her heart.

While Yang patted himself in congratulations for being illiterate with colors and bad at art and design; definitely a blessing in disguise even when he had failed art class in high school. At least now and with her, his weakness has become his greatest weapon.