3 Call with Xiaoyu

In the wee hours of the morning, Dong Xu had sent Yiren back to the apartment she had rented, along with another few roommates she barely knew or spoke with.

As soon as she was back in her room, she flung off Dong Xu's jacket and headed into the shared bathroom to take a quick shower. Dong Xu's smell lingered all over her, especially after they had kissed the night before.

She would describe the kiss they shared under the effect of their drunkenness as a kiss that started cold but eventually turned out warm as their tongues met. It differed totally from the first kiss she received from Dong Xu. In short, it was like magic. She sensed the warmth descending over her body, followed by invisible flames consuming her.

Strange indeed. She peeled off her clothes and allowed the water from the shower head to drip over her bare body. The water heater had broken down again. By now she had gotten used to the coldness of the water in the apartment. She thought of the days she was once a poor little rich girl and how she never had to suffer from the coldness of the night nor have a bath that wasn't warm.

She had to do her best to graduate and get a good-paying job before she could find the means of tracking down the uncle who had run away with their money. And maybe he was a bankrupt himself. Xiaoyu had told her that the possibility of getting the money back was close to nothing. But she still had to try.

When she returned to her room, Xiaoyu had left her about seven missed calls. A hunch told Yiren that this call was connected to the whereabouts of her runaway uncle. Three years had passed since. Xiaoyu, who was from a wealthy family like her, had the means of affording an investigator, which her friend willingly did for her sake.

Xiaoyu answered her video call on the third ring. Yiren didn't hesitate to ask her if she had any news.

"I've found out that he was last seen meeting the CEO of Forest Corporation, Lin Xiao," Xiaoyu's calm voice soothed her from the other side of the phone. "However, the meeting was two years ago. Maybe Lin Xiao has in his hands, what strictly belongs to you."

"From what I know, Lin Xiao is tricky. He doesn't appear in public much and has few friends. Unless you have a mutual friend, it is very difficult to even get close to him. I read he is very hard to please."

"Hmm, that is true," Xiaoyu replied. "But it isn't impossible. I'm having my internship with Blue Lotus Garments. I've heard that next month, CEO Lin will head over to the office where I work for a business deal. If I'm lucky enough to be chosen among the few interns, I might get to meet him personally and even work with him for some time. But I can't promise you I will get to meet him."

"Thank you, Xiaoyu. No words can express my thanks to you right now." Yiren placed her hands together to form a military salute like in the historical dramas.

"Don't stand on ceremony, Yiren. After all, what are friends for?" Xiaoyu smiled sweetly on her screen. "I just don't want you to get your hopes up and then get disheartened if I am not the one selected. After all, it's a big business deal that the company wouldn't just cast an intern that doesn't meet the expectations of CEO Lin."

Xiaoyu wasn't a negative person. She was merely stating the facts and Yiren understood.

"And you mentioned a mutual friend? CEO Lin doesn't have many friends. Unless you mean—"

She halted herself from mentioning Dong Xu's name as it reminded her of his cold-turned-hot lips on hers. She shivered, pulling her cheap supermarket-bought fleece blanket around her as a glance revealed Dong Xu's magnificent army design jacket in the corner of her bed.

"Yiren? Yiren?"

She felt her cheeks flushing again. Fortunately, Xiaoyu hadn't noticed the low resolution of her phone lens.

"Sorry, Xiaoyu. Something distracted me for a moment."

"The only friend I've heard that CEO Lin has is Dong Xu, CEO of Dongtian Technologies. The two of them go a long way back. Even when they are seen together, Dong Xu wears sunglasses and is accompanied by Guan Ziming, his right-hand man. I've also heard that Mr Guan is a practising lawyer. So it might not be that simple to get to them."

"I'll think of something," Yiren thought, recalling the offer from Dong Xu to her. Perhaps they could work on an agreement. First, she needed to contact Dong Xu, since she had forgotten to ask him for his number when she left his Mercedes sports car hastily less than an hour ago.

She was still a little weary even though she had taken some paracetamol for her headache. So when she heard Xiaoyu say goodbye, she slumped backwards on the headboard of her bed and fell asleep.

Instead of falling into a deep slumber, it appalled her to catch sight of Dong Xu.

"Dong Xu, even in my dreams you won't let me go?" she moaned. Dong Xu was just himself, looking as narcissistic as he was and wearing a cold smirk over his face.

"Xiao Feng, it's time you repaid me for a thousand years of rebirth."

Those words again?

"Do you think I'll let you go, Feng Yiren?"

She scowled. "This is my dream, isn't it, Dong Xu? My dreams, my say."

"I have the power to make any of your dreams a living nightmare. I can bring you up to heaven and down to hell, my little fox."

"Fox? What do you mean?" She retorted boldly. As she knew she was in a dream right now, she was free to act as she wished.

"You don't remember, Xiao Feng."

"What do you want me to remember, Dong Xu?" She raised an arm to strike him. But try as she might, she couldn't even land a punch on him. Her inability to even lay a hand on him in her dreams irked her. "Dong Xu!" she yelled furiously.

"You and I were intimate before, Xiao Feng."

When Yiren looked around her, she realised Dong Xu had pinned her to an immense tree and was staring into her eyes with his dark gigantic eyes. Before she could protest, he conquered her with another kiss.

"Mmm," she allowed him to kiss her. Her body tingled as if he had just released a myriad of lightning bolts through her. She didn't want him to stop, even if it was an unhealthy obsession. Closing her eyes, she revelled in the passionate kiss between them.

He released her. "And I present you with a contract, Xiao Feng."

"Dong Xu," she moaned. But when she opened her eyes, she was back in her room. Her body ached as if she had just run a marathon.

Yet, what bewildered her was the fact that a thin document was lying next to her on her bed. Was this the contract Dong Xu had mentioned in the dream?