"Hu Lei, why did you let me win?" w.a.n.g Yue followed her quickly as she left the studio. She did not want to interact with the cast for long, especially Ben Gong Hai. He had been insistent about talking to her after the show, making her a little uncomfortable. She was not keen on playing his games.Hu Lei lifted a brow at the actress. "Surely, you can figure it out."
The other woman huffed at the response. She was not mad that Hu Lei let her win. It would have been a lot more embarra.s.sing for her if she had lost. However, she could not understand how the miniscule girl had beaten her. It did not seem like she had special training. Yet, she had controlled their whole match. It made her feel like a balloon about to burst from pressure.
"Don"t think that this means that I owe you." She declared, flipping her hair over her shoulder.
"I only do what"s in my best interest. I can"t have the first movie adaptation of my book failing just because of you now, can I?" Hu Lei laughed before walking away.
Just as she was about to step out of the building, she met with another person that she did not want to see: Qi Han. She did not have any personal feelings towards this man. He had stared at her on the day she had been hanging out with Ah-Feng and his friends at Calibrate. He had gawked at her with incredible intensity until she had remembered that he was the guy she had met in downtown Supreme.
"Hu Lei, can we talk for a moment?" he asked without preamble.
She frowned at the direct address, but she nodded because she thought that she should clear a few things up with him. She did not want him to publicise their first meeting. However, it was not because she was afraid of anything. But she knew that if Ah-Feng knew, he would only worry.
"There"s a coffee shop across the street." The man smiled at her with incredible brightness.
Hu Lei nodded and followed him while letting Beatrice know that she might need to wait for a little while longer.
The coffee shop was simple and designed for business people. It had a practical design without the comforts of cosy cute cafés. Still, their service was top-notch; their efficiency could not be questioned.
"Mr Qi, what would you like to discuss?" She asked directly after getting her lemon tea.
"Please, call me, Qi Han or Han." He said.
"Alright, Qi Han, how can I help you?"
Qi Han looked at the girl before him and felt that she was the love of his life. It did not matter whether she was attached to another man. It was fate that had brought them together. If the universe did not have a plan, why would he have met this angel who had saved his life again?
"Did you enjoy the last section of Next Moment? I organised it just for you. Why didn"t you just win the match directly?" He asked instead of answering her question.
"You are a businessman. You should understand that winning would have undermined my bottom line when TQA came out." She explained after sipping her tea.
"But don"t you want to shine? Don"t you want to rise? You don"t seem like a woman who would be satisfied with staying at home." He leaned closer. "I have seen you in action. You are more than you let on. I think can help you."
Hu Lei"s eyes narrowed as she looked at him. "And how do you think you can help me?"
"Your talents are probably overlooked by Zhong Feng. He does not understand what you can do. You are not merely a writer or a beautiful woman. You are a power. In my organisation, you would be appreciated."
"Oooh, is that so? What are you interested in? A club bouncer, a debt collector or a.s.sa.s.sin?" Hu Lei"s voice was cold and sharp.
Qi Han felt that Hu Lei had misunderstood his intentions. He simply had meant that if she was by his side, her wings would not be clipped. He understood families like the Zhongs. Their daughter-in-law had to fit in a certain mould, and Hu Lei was not meant to be suppressed like that.
"You can choose any role that you would like in the Qi Group. You can take this as my repayment for saving my life." Qi Han added quickly.
Hu Lei leaned back and looked at the man. "Mr Qi, what do you think that you know about me? Do you think that meeting me once showed you a secret part of my life that no one else is privy to?"
Qi Han felt uncomfortable because that is exactly what he had a.s.sumed. When he had seen her for the second time, she had been dancing like a normal cute girl and realised that Zhong Feng treated her like a delicate vase. Even though he had been displeased that she was attached, he felt special because he knew something that no one else knew.
"Listen to me very carefully. Saving you was merely by chance. There was no special meaning to it. You don"t know me. You don"t understand me. And don"t make a.s.sumptions about my life. Is that clear?" Her voice was controlled but there was obvious anger.
Qi Han realised that he had made a mistake in his approach. "I apologise, Ms Hu. I overstepped my bounds. Still, I would like to repay you for saving my life. I will not rest easy with this debt."
He was not willing to let go of the chance to connect with her.
Hu Lei looked at him. "Alright, I will collect that debt. But it will be on my own terms."