A Little Pressure

"Hold on… Fernando, isn't this… Mr. Xander Martin? A producer in Europe?" Li Shanshan butted in, ignoring Xuan Hui and his group. How could she miss the fun? She then walked towards Mr. Martin with a smile.

"So that's why I found you familiar Miss Li… Forgive me for not recognizing you. I am getting a little old. Hahaha!" Mr. Martin laughed. Li Shanshan was a known directress in Europe and the US. The number of box office hits directed by her was just too many to even list down. Having connections with her would be better than investing in a puny company in this country.

"And this should be… Miss Lily and Mr. Kim?" Mr. Martin asked, rendering Xuan Hui and his group speechless. 'Miss Lily? Isn't this Qin Jinghua?' Everyone was thinking the same thing as they looked awkwardly at each other. The situation got even more awkward when Mr. Martin began to engage Lily and her group in conversations, totally ignoring them.

Xuan Hui stared at Lily who was laughing candidly while speaking to Mr. Martin. Her eyes were in crescents which showed how much she enjoyed talking to the old man. A glint of irritation could be seen in Xuan Hui's eyes before he took a step towards Mr. Martin. "Mr. Martin, why don't you introduce me to your friends?" he asked, his eyes never leaving Lily. 

He wanted to confirm if this woman was indeed Qin Jinghua. He had seen the way she carried herself, and it didn't seem like Qin Jinghua at all. Whether it was her manner of speaking or her mannerisms.He started to doubt that this woman was Qin Jinghua and concluded that she must be just a lookalike. 

"Ah… I am surprised that you do not know them and you even wanted to kick them out of this place." Mr. Martin said while eyeing critically at Xuan Hui and the rest. "These people are famous in Europe. If you want to branch out and explore the European market then you cannot offend them. Offending them is like a death sentence to your business," he said in a low voice, but enough for Xuan Hui and his group to hear. Their faces immediately turned ugly.

"This is Mr. Fernando Kim, the heir of GC Jewels. And this is Miss Li Shanshan, I'm sure you have already heard of her name given that you are also in the film industry." Mr. Martin made a deliberate paused as he looked at Lily knowingly. Seeing as the latter had given him a quick nod, he continued, "And this is Miss Lily Facci-Qin, the CEO of Facci Group, an international conglomerate based in London."

Xuan Hui was confused. 'Lily Facci-Qin? Who the hell is that?'

"Excuse me, Miss Qin, can I talk to you in private?" he asked while trying to suppress his irritation.

"I don't think we know each other well enough for us to talk privately. Do we?" Lily gave him a provocative smile as if she was challenging him to do something about the current situation. Suddenly, Xuan Hui began to see things more clearly. Now he was sure that he is talking to Qin Jinghua but he was still confused as to how she became Lily Facci-Qin. Was this the reason why his secretary couldn't find any information about Qin Jinghua? Because she had changed her name?

Meanwhile all of Xuan Hui's friends were also confused by this sudden turn of events. It seemed as though Mr. Martin respected these people. Impossible! Wasn't Qin Jinghua a nobody? How could she be someone who was respected in Europe? One of them immediately used his phone to perform a quick search on 'Lily Facci-Qin'. If she was really an important figure in Europe, then there would be information about her on the internet right?

"I really think that we need to talk in private." Xuan Hui hissed through his clenched jaw. He was not stupid. A person who was respected by Mr. Martin should be someone important. Though the disdain in his eyes was still there, his tone was calm and collected. His mind was already thinking of ways to take advantage of this situation.

"Well… if you are looking for a private meeting then call my secretary and schedule an appointment." Lily flashed him a smile before turning away from him, as if telling him that their conversation was over.

The situation immediately turned awkward again for Xuan Hui and his group as Mr. Martin continued to ignore them and was happily talking to Lily and her friends. Xuan Hui's face turned extremely ugly at the realization that Qin Jinghua had somehow became famous in Europe. But it seemed as if her success had gotten into her head. Was there a need to be so proud and aloof? Didn't they know each other from years before? Moreover, she was still young, how much could she have achieved to be considered a big individual in Europe? It couldn't have been solely her efforts right? She must have have gotten successful by making use of her friends' connections right?

However, his theory was quickly debunked when one of his friends showed him what he found about Lily Facci-Qin on the internet on his phone. Everyone crowded over to look at the information on the phone. But as they continued to read, the expressions on their faces changed from being surprised to fear. Mr. Martin was right…Lily Facci-Qin was not someone that they could offend. They felt so embarrassed that they hoped the ground below them could just swallow them up.

To their horror, Lily and her group continued to ignore them. When Lily and her group decided to return to their booth, they did not invite them to go with them. They did not even spare them a glance as if they were insignificant people. Of course, this made Xuan Hui and his business partners fumed in anger. How could they just take this blatant insult?

Just a while ago, they had marched here with their heads held high and flaunted their authority. They never expected that the tables had turned around on them and they ended up being ignored by their own invited guest. This group of prideful men couldn't take this insult!

Xuan Hui and his group exchanged knowing eye contacts before they decided to follow Lily.

'Isn't Qin Jinghua just someone whom Xuan Hui had thrown away like rug? Isn't she nothing but a used shoe? How dare she ignore him and act so high and mighty now? Lily Qin does not have the right to disrespect him this way' These were the thoughts that Xuan Hui's friends had.

"Lily… I need to talk to you," Xuan Hui forcibly grabbed her arm while applying a little pressure, making sure that Lily would feel the pain from his grip. Lily winced from the pain just as he hoped. But what happened next was too fast for Xuan Hui to register. 

'Pa' A resounding sound echoed in the hallway.

…

Editor: Swaning