4 Meeting Ziming

Back inside the hotel room, Dong Xu sat coolly on his usual spot. He glanced across the room, watching the empty spot where Feng Yiren had sat earlier.

"What do you think, Ziming?"

Guan Ziming retracted his steps from the pantry carrying two mugs filled with coffee. Not just normal coffee, this was Dong Xu's favourite: dark roasted arabica beans specially air-flown from Kenya rather from the grocery store. Dong Xu always got what he wanted in terms of quality and standard. And Dong Xu's coffee, which was the most important thing he needed to kickstart his mornings, had to be the best.

Dong Xu didn't care for tea or any other coffee rather than dark roast. The same went for him with his taste in women. Ziming didn't know what Dong Xu saw in women; moreover, a simple woman like Feng Yiren. In the past ten years, women of all races and statuses had flocked to Dong Xu for attention, only to be repelled by him heavily. Unfortunately for them, Dong Xu had a unique taste. He didn't like women who dressed conspicuously or acted provocatively around him. The more a woman attempted to obtain his attention, the more it disgusted him.

Ziming felt that this all had to do with Dong Xu's background. He lost his parents at an age too young enough to remember. A woman later fostered him but neglected him after she was involved with a man. Dong Xu likely could not let go of how she would don sexy clothing when she went out with her new partner and hence his displeasure with women who acted and dressed in that manner.

"About the apartment or the woman that was here last night?" Ziming teased with a cheeky smile. Dong Xu rolled his eyes as he watched the black-haired man who he had known his entire life. Ziming and Dong Xu were childhood friends and had known each other from the same orphanage. When they reunited later during high school, Dong Xu appeared to have decided for Ziming to be his partner, although, on the outside, everyone perceived Ziming as his right-hand man.

"Are you daft, Guan Ziming?"

Ziming opened his mouth but he was too slow as words cannoned out of Dong Xu's mouth in response to what he had asked earlier. Dong Xu didn't need a lot of words to take down a simpleton like Guan Ziming. Neither did Dong Xu need to lose his cool. No matter how much law Ziming knew, Dong Xu was always the smarter one. Ziming admitted defeat instantly.

He stared towards the laptop screen where Dong Xu was pointing to. This was the new commercial business district where Dong Xu planned to set up his new retail branch along with an office. Ziming realised this location was a short walk from where Feng Yiren resided, as what he knew from Dong Xu's chauffeur. Dong Xu was going to hit two birds with one stone.

"Hmmm?" Dong Xu impaled Ziming with his cold gaze.

"Very… nice," Ziming was compelled to answer him.

"So, let's get to discussing the feng shui of the location and the decor of the retail branch," Dong Xu asserted. Sheesh, Ziming thought. This man sure moved on quickly! Again, Dong Xu was the man who never needed a break in an entire week. He would work on weekends and any day he liked. Playing hard, and working hard was one of his mottoes, but considering his wealth, Dong Xu didn't even need to work hard a day of his life. On the other hand, he had worked hard to achieve what he had today.

Ziming on the other hand was glad to be spared the burden of having to support a woman. It wasn't that he was unattractive, but he often avoided social events and stayed away from the other sex. Hence, the media often mistook that they were homosexual lovers. Dong Xu had his ways to get such rumours removed by the publishers. But more publishers emerged, which proved a serious problem.

That wasn't the worst of Dong Xu's issues. Ziming knew that when an intoxicated Feng Yiren appeared and entered his hotel room, some bystanders had exposed the occurrence through their live streams. It wouldn't be long before bigger rumours would spread about Dong Xu and Feng Yiren, even if it wasn't the truth. Furthermore, Dong Xu seemed interested in Feng Yiren. Ziming didn't find this discovery surprising to him at all, although he suspected Yiren's intentions. After all, he did know Dong Xu almost all his life but Yiren to him was a difficult book he couldn't guess.

He needed to do more spying. And he knew just the right person to look for.

Unfortunately, Dong Xu didn't release Ziming well until past lunchtime, which of course, was teatime for everyone else. At times, Ziming wondered if Dong Xu was truly human because he did not seem to be hungry until past four in the afternoon. Ignoring his rumbling tummy, he had to finish up the discussion Dong Xu had demanded. One discussion turned into two, and the rumbling finally raised some awareness in Dong Xu's mind.

Ziming staggered towards Hua Yue Restaurant, where someone was waiting for him for a long time. In a private dining room, a man with sharp eyes and a dignified appearance sat flipping the entertainment news on his cellphone, which was the latest Xi smartphone model.

"You're finally here. Managed to shake off Dong Xiaoxu?"

'Dong Xiaoxu' was Lin Xiao's nickname for Dong Xu. Lin Xiao, the CEO of Forest Corporation, Dong Xu's closest buddy and best mate from university days, had the complete opposite personality compared to Dong Xu. He was a mischievous flirt and gossiper, although he avoided public places for unobvious reasons. Lin Xiao, however, was single for a good reason: because he could not find that person who he was in love with for a very long time!

Still, when a beautiful opportunity presented itself to him, he couldn't deny himself a nice conversation! But then as he never allowed any woman to have a chance with him, it made him notorious with the nickname, Trickster Xiao. Any attempts to seduce him would be neatly played at, bringing the girls on a ride but causing them to end up with nothing!

Ziming pulled the sliding door to the private room, then bowed with his hands in a highly revered manner.

"CEO Lin, I apologise for the long wait."

Lin Xiao, despite his wealth, was a very humble individual. He waved his arm at Ziming, directing him to take a seat. Ziming sat down on the tatami next to him.

"You wouldn't have come to me if nothing was bothering you. From the looks of it, Dong Xu is involved."

Ziming nodded. "Yes."

"It's that girl, Feng Yiren."

Again, Ziming nodded.

"I'm not the God of Fate, Ziming. If it is so that Dong Xiaoxu has found his match, we can't do anything about it. But I doubt this is why you have come to me. You need information about this Feng Yiren."

Ziming looked as docile as a lamb upon hearing Lin Xiao's statement.

"I wouldn't have come unprepared."

Lin Xiao pulled out a medium-sized tablet from a nearby crossbody bag. "Let's see. Everything about Feng Yiren is here. Now, you owe me a big meal."