Chapter Twenty-Two (Part 1)
Later in the morning all the senior directors at Liang’s company understood why their cold face third master was in a good mood. Their suspicions were confirmed when their cold face third master who was always a professional suddenly brought a girl with ordinary looks with him to work, even forced the girl to sit next to him in an important work meeting.
Rong Yan took the opportunity when An Xiao Li went to the bathroom to have a battle of words with Chen Yu Bai. ‘Little Bai… if third uncle is really worried about her safety then order your a.s.sistants to follow her. Can you not cling to her? I’m used to looking at delicious meat. But third uncle put a vegetarian dish in front of me, my stomach can’t digest.’
Chen Yu Bai didn’t bother to look at Rong Yan. ‘Doesn’t your stomach still have Qin Liu? Just take her out and your stomach can digest immediately.’
Liang Fei Fang knocked on the meeting table. ‘The incident with Qin Sang, has that been investigated yet?’
Ji Nan shook her head. ‘It’s really strange, there were no holes found. Little Qin Song sent some people to investigate but couldn’t find out anything. It could be someone from the western district using it as excuse to start a battle with us.’
‘Where is little Qin Song?’ Liang Fei Fang asked.
Ji Nan glanced at Rong Yan and saw him nod his head before she spoke. ‘Since he went to visit Qin Sang yesterday, I haven’t seen him return.’
Liang Fei Feng wrinkled his forehead. ‘Then where’s fifth brother?’
‘I don’t know…’ Ji Nan reluctantly answered and sat behind Rong Yan in case Liang Fei Fang took his frustrations out on her.
Rong Yan looked at Ji Nan and spoke up for her. ‘Go to the bathroom and see how third master’s little darling is faring. It’s been a long time, don’t say that she fell into the toilet.’
Ji Nan bolted to the bathroom. A disgruntled Chen Yu Bai glared at Rong Yan.
‘Those two missing kiddos need to hold back a little, they shouldn’t let others see them as a waste of s.p.a.ce,’ Liang Fei Fang said.
Chen Yu Bai laughed coldly. Rong Yan shrugged his shoulders and counter attacked Liang Fei Fang. ‘If it isn’t straight at the top then it’s crooked at the bottom. You don’t have the right to criticise them – the magnitude of your treatment of big sister Gu Yan is greater than those two missing kiddos combined.’
Liang Fei Fang looked like he was about to hit Rong Yan, but Rong Yan wisely disappeared from the meeting room. Liang Fei Fang couldn’t delegate after work duties to fifth and sixth brother so Liang Fei Fang and Chen Yu Bai were forced to split up and attend the work dinner banquets later that night.
At a work dinner banquet, An Xiao Li felt it was the part of the day she antic.i.p.ated the most since following Chen Yu Bai all day. The table were layered with delicious dinner dishes, it was only An Xiao Li who focused on eating. She saw that most of the beer belly old men circled Chen Yu Bai and forced Chen Yu Bai to drink wine with them.
‘Why aren’t you subst.i.tuting CEO Chen to drink wine?’ a sly beer belly young man asked An Xiao Li.
The beer belly young man lifted a gla.s.s of wine and pa.s.sed it to An Xiao Li and she was forced to accept the gla.s.s of wine in front of her. But before the gla.s.s of wine touched her lips, Chen Yu Bai was by her side. Chen Yu Bai held her wrist. ‘CEO Tao, I’m sorry. My girlfriend is still young and doesn’t understand the situation, I’m sorry for troubling you.’
Chen Yu Bai took the gla.s.s of wine Xiao Li held and emptied it in his mouth. CEO Tao laughed a jolly laugh, patted Chen Yu Bai’s shoulder and praised him for his chivalry.
Chen Yu Bai forced a smile and said a few words to CEO Tao. Then Chen Yu Bai bent his head and whispered in Xiao Li’s ear. ‘If you’re full go outside and sit, it’s more peaceful there. Wait until I’m done here I’ll come and find you. Don’t run around wildly, ok?’
An Xiao Li was still in a dreamy state, because Chen Yu Bai acknowledged her as his girlfriend so when he was whispering in her ear she couldn’t control herself and kissed his cheek. Then she took her bright red face to run outside.
Outside was like a palace garden, the harmonious sounds of the running water compelled An Xiao Li to play the piano in the garden. An Xiao Li wore a white dress and she looked like a tiny figurine in front of the piano. Her long hair was silky smooth and flowed to her waist. She focused on playing a beautiful song but she couldn’t remember the t.i.tle of the song.
When An Xiao Li was a kid, Miss Chen took her to a music school to learn to play musical instruments. Perhaps it was a Tuesday or a Wednesday, she played on a piano a song Miss Chen wrote for her in front of the cla.s.s and her music teacher scored her 100 points. Her music teacher felt that she unearthed a musical genius inside An Xiao Li. Her music teacher was deeply moved and requested An Xiao Li to read the notes on the music sheet out loud in front of the cla.s.s. There were two red roses tied to An Xiao Li’s hair, she stood proudly in front of the cla.s.s and read the notes loud and clear. ‘Four, three, five, six, three, two, one, two, four, three, two, five…’
That day An Xiao Li’s music teacher personally took An Xiao Li who held a written warning in her hands home. Miss Chen read what was in An Xiao Li’s hands and Miss Chen’s lioness roar was heard throughout the building and the nearby school.
An Xiao Li was immersed in her childhood memories until she heard a commotion, she turned around – it was a sight that spoiled the beautiful garden.
Xiao Mian saw An Xiao Li and stepped toward her to greet her. ‘Did you come with Chen Yu Bai?’
Xiao Mian laughed mockingly. An Xiao Li’s tongue was lazy to reply, her head nodded for her tongue.
‘Miss An you’re a capable girl. In the past the third master of Liang’s company had ancient wise eyes grown on top of his head, yet he can still love you. Let alone Chu Hao Ran, chewing on old gra.s.s again,’ Xiao Mian said spitefully.
An Xiao Li understood Xiao Mian was demeaning her, but she felt what he said was reasonable and her tongue was forced to reply. ‘You praise me too much.’
Xiao Mian’s smiling lips stiffened then awkwardly laughed coldly. He turned around to go back inside when he saw Chen Yu Bai coming toward him and An Xiao Li.
‘Oh. CEO Chen, it’s been a while since we met,’ Xiao Mian said.
Chen Yu Bai didn’t bother looking at Xiao Mian and strode straight to An Xiao Li’s side. Chen Yu Bai rubbed her head and spoke gently. ‘Done, let’s go home.’
An Xiao Li smiled brightly and nodded her head.
Xiao Mian fumed at An Xiao Li and Chen Yu Bai’s retreating backs. Xiao Mian spoke in a loud voice. ‘Hey! Chen Yu Bai, if you’re a man let’s have a one on one fist fight!’
Chen Yu Bai stopped, turned around and coldly looked at Xiao Mian. ‘I’m certain I’m a man. Whether you’re a man or not, I’m sorry, only the heavens and earth know.’
Xiao Mian’s minions were nearby and stepped forward intending to join in a fist fight, but they laughed boisterously when they heard an undeniable truth about the unmanly Xiao Mian.
The following morning Chen Yu Bai and An Xiao Li fought loudly, because of one phone call.
Just before the phone call, Chen Yu Bai was hugging Xiao Li in bed sleeping. When he heard Xiao Li’s phone ringing, he didn’t think and carelessly answered Xiao Li’s phone. Unexpectedly, the caller was Miss Chen.
By the time An Xiao Li grabbed her phone back, Miss Chen was furious and informed that Miss Chen was going to visit An Xiao Li the next day. Before Miss Chen hung up, she warned An Xiao Li to prepare the soul.
An Xiao Li felt that it seemed Miss Chen didn’t recognise Chen Yu Bai’s voice so An Xiao Li decided to find someone to temporarily subst.i.tute her boyfriend. Compared to living together with someone before marriage and living with Chen Yu Bai before marriage, An Xiao Li was certain that the former would make her suffer less under Miss Chen’s hands.
An Xiao Li’s suggestion evoked an explosive fight over ‘status.’ That fight was different to their past fights, because it was little Bai who felt insecure and used. He felt that he was eaten thoroughly but wasn’t paid and acknowledged – he became the past An Xiao Li.
‘I didn’t say I’m not letting you meet Miss Chen, it’s just we shouldn’t provoke Miss Chen’s temper all at once. The past few years my mum’s body has bloated, her blood pressure is high, if she’s too shocked…’ An Xiao Li reasoned.
‘Be quiet!’ Chen Yu Bai ordered. The veins on his skin popped up. ‘Be good and let me tell Miss Chen about us.’
‘I don’t want to!’ An Xiao Li protested. ‘If you tell her about us, I’ll deny everything.’
‘Give it a try,’ Chen Yu Bai threatened.
Chen Yu Bai in his angry state, he didn’t notice that his arm hit against a pillar until it was too late. He snorted and scrunched his face in pain.
‘Oh… are you hurt?’ An Xiao Li asked sweetly.
Chen Yu Bai laughed coldly. ‘I don’t need you to care!’
End of Chapter Twenty-Two (Part 1)