"Hu Lei!" Pierre shouted in the airport and rushed to her. He swept her into a hug and swung her around. Hu Lei could not help smiling. Pierre might be a damsel-in-distress kind of person, but his heart had always been good, even after hooking up with that barbarian, Vlad the Impaler.
"Pierre, put me down." She ordered as she noticed some people taking photos.
Pierre with his golden hair, height and flair was the kind of man who attracted attention. It was a pity that he was always the painter and never the model because he had the je ne sais quoi that attracted the eyes of both males and females.
"I am so glad that you are here, Hu Lei." He put her down after another hug.
"Next time you do that, I will shave your head." Hu Lei threatened.
"You wouldn"t. You know this glorious mane is the only reason Vlad keeps me around." He sighed with a generous dose of dramatic shivering.
Hu Lei rolled her eyes. "Let"s go and pick up your luggage."
Beatrice drove them from the airport to the Westend apartments. Hu Lei noticed her a.s.sistant looking at Pierre. The man winked at her once, and she blushed in an uncharacteristic manner. Yes, Pierre was a lot of trouble.
"Should I leave you alone with him?" Beatrice asked nervously instead of stepping back into the car.
Hu Lei looked at her flatly. "What do you think will happen?"
Beatrice flushed a little. "He is a very good looking man."
"No one is better-looking than my Ah-Feng. Go home and rest. If I know Pierre and I do, you will be busy."
In the end, Beatrice could do nothing but go home.
"This is my apartment." Hu Lei ushered Pierre in while also helping with his luggage. She appreciated the efficiency with which Chen Li had handled the repairs. The formerly damaged s.p.a.ce looked better than ever. "You can stay here during your visit."
"What about you?"
"I am rarely here. I just bought this place as an expression of my independence. I will stay in the penthouse. I usually stay there most of the time. You can use anything you like." She smiled as she showed him around the apartment.
Pierre looked at Hu Lei with an intense look in his eyes. It was his artist eyes. It was what he used to look at subjects before transferring what he saw to a canvas. In the past, Hu Lei was like an unsheathed serrated black blade. She had a rough edge which was always ready to defend and cut quickly.
Now, there was something different about her. There was still darkness around her, but he also got the sense that she was more peaceful than she had ever been. He had always felt guilty for the part he had played in placing the darkness in her soul. So, he was relieved to see that she was doing well.
"Vlad tells me that you got married." He commented after a while.
"Yeah..." It was a simple answer. But he could see that she was happy.
"I hope to meet your husband. He must be a great man." After all, anyone who could tame the most feared Jane had to be something special.
"I will introduce you. He will probably come back in a couple of days." She paused. "But he probably won"t like you."
Pierre laughed. "Vlad already told me that."
Hu Lei smiled. Zhong Feng did not like anyone who had had even a small part in hurting her. But he also appreciated the help that Vlad had given him when she had gone missing. He would not be too unkind to Pierre.
"Hu Lei…"
She stopped lugging the suitcase to the bedroom and looked at him. He stepped forward and hugged her with gentle caution, unlike his earlier embrace in the airport.
"I am glad that you have someone to love and protect you." He whispered in a hoa.r.s.e voice that betrayed his feelings.
Hu Lei thought that Pierre was still a no-good cry-baby. Still, she smiled a little and returned the hug. She would shave his glorious hair next time.
When he finally let go, there were tell-tale signs of tears. Hu Lei shook her head and continued dragging the suitcase to the bedroom. "You should take a shower and rest. I already ordered food for you."
"I thought we would go out and party." He followed.
"Let"s leave that for tomorrow."
Pierre opened the suitcase, took out shipping tube and handed it to her. "The painting is for your husband. Vlad said he liked it."
Hu Lei was confused, but she took the tube and left.