Ling Fulei was escorted to the meeting room and right when he sat down, an angry dragon stormed into the room."Ten minutes, b.a.s.t.a.r.d." Yang Feng muttered when he sat down on the big leather chair. With his frame and height, the kingsize chair looked like a child"s tea party set.
"Geez, what got your panties in a twist?" Ling Fulei asked while pulling out a cigarette.
"The clock is ticking." Yang Feng leaned back in his chair, an indifferent expression on his flawless face. His appearance alone could blind someone. Even Ling Fulei could not help but be drawn towards his best friend.
"I don"t see why you"re only dating one woman." Ling Fulei sighed, "What a waste of your good features." He pa.s.sed the cigarette box to Yang Feng.
"All the women in the world combined would not be worth a single strand of her hair." Yang Feng lazily drawled out, picking up the box only for him to place it down. He remembered the reports about Zhao Lifei mentioned she did not like smokers. If he wanted a kiss from her after the fight, it"s best if he didn"t smoke.
Ling Fulei"s face scrunched up in disdain. "Man, you"re so whipped for her." He hated this sudden a.s.sault of dog food being shoved in his face. To ease his frustration, he lit his cigarette and took a slow, relaxing drag of the addictive toxins.
"I still remember the days where your little secretary used to sneak women into your office late at night just so you can get a release from being a workaholic."
"Everyone is stupid in their youth." Yang Feng wished he didn"t waste his time with those women who could never satisfy him. They were a bore, nothing like Zhao Lifei.
Ling Fulei scoffed. "Stupid? Dude, you were banging one of the hottest women in this country—"
"You have three minutes left." Yang Feng didn"t want to be reminded of those women. He usually did not make a lot of mistakes, but those were his glaring ones. He could not wash his hands of his past, no matter how much he tried.
"Fine, fine, I suppose we should get down to business." Ling Fulei stubbed his cigarette out and placed the confidential envelope onto the desk.
- - - - -
Zhao Lifei finished her papers in record time and handed it to Huo Qiudong. When she placed the paper on the desk, Wei Hantao had already returned to his office. She did not know he was searching for her until the door of the meeting room opened without warning.
She eyed him in disdain and turned around, ready to saunter off when he suddenly grabbed her wrist.
"Are you mad at me?" Wei Hantao worriedly asked. He felt a pang of guilt his heart when her face turned to look at him. She wore a blank expression, her eyes reprimanding him like a headmaster. Her lips were pulled into a thin line.
"I didn"t mean to offend you. I just thought you would"ve accepted the private meetings anyways, so I just…" Wei Hantao awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "I"m sorry, okay?"
Zhao Lifei rolled her eyes and yanked her wrist back, but he was much stronger than her. Wei Hantao refused to let her go.
"Don"t walk off. Let"s sit down and talk about it."
Huo Qiudong sensed a private discussion was starting soon. He waved his hands and cleared out the employees working in front of the meeting room doors. Then he personally left.
Zhao Lifei was not in the mood to converse right now. She tugged her arms again, warning him to release her. Once again, he didn"t.
"Talk to me, please. You know I hate this silent treatment." Wei Hantao frustratedly ran a hand through his hair.
Zhao Lifei"s lips curled in disgust, her eyes belittling him without words. She took one foot forward, ready to leave, but was stunned when he suddenly yanked her into his arms, tightly embracing her from behind.
She struggled in his arms, "Are you crazy? Let go of me!"
"How about this? I"ll cancel the meetings for you and attend them myself. Or we can go together." Wei Hantao realized that he was fanning the fire and not quelling it. He added on, "I was wrong for accepting it without consulting or asking you first. I won"t do it again, okay?"
Zhao Lifei felt her anger settle a bit.
"So, please stop being mad at me. Next time, I"ll ask you before I do anything stupid." Wei Hantao sagged his shoulders in relief when he looked down and realized the enmity clouding her eyes dispersed. "But you need to pick up my phone calls. It"s the only way—"
Wei Hantao stopped talking when a man emerged from the hallways. He was dressed in a figure-hugging black s.h.i.+rt that made his frame a lot bigger and more intimidating. He walked in as if he owned the place and the world was his plaything. High and mighty, he looked like an Emperor, beyond the reach of common people like Wei Hantao.
Zhao Lifei tilted her head, "Yang Feng? What are you doing here?" She felt a chill crawl up her spine when his lifeless eyes clashed with hers. They were out for blood.
"What"s wrong?" She took a step forward but realized she couldn"t. Wei Hantao"s arms were still wrapped around her. She realized how compromising their position was. "It"s not what it looks like."
"Famous words of a cheater."
Zhao Lifei watched as Chen Gaonan scrambled to grab a chair. Yang Feng sat down, one leg crossed over the other. It was blinding to look at him, the angrier he looked, the s.e.xier he was. Her eyes followed his long, slender fingers that pulled out a pack of cigarettes. She felt her nose crinkle when he lit it and placed it in his mouth.
She didn"t think he was a smoker. Was he deliberately smoking to anger her?
"Do you have to jump to conclusions?" She bit out, stomping hard on Wei Hantao"s feet, digging the heels of her stilettos into the leather. He howled in pain and in his distraction, she broke free from his arms.
Yang Feng did not answer her. He originally declined the cigarette from Ling Fulei for her sake. Seeing her now, he decided it was fine to light one.
She watched as the cigarette"s ember went from black to orange when he breathed in the smoke again, only to breath it out in a perfect circle.
Her heart lurched when his intense gaze swept to her eyes. She felt herself frozen to the spot, her legs rooted to the ground. Red flags were being raised in the distance when she saw the dangerous glimmer in his eyes. He did not look happy. She was too prideful to care.
"What should I do with you?" He pondered the idea, his head tilting to the side while his eyes tore her apart.
"Nothing. You"re overthinking it." Zhao Lifei folded her arms and dropped them when his eyes clashed with hers again.
His presence was like a blood-covered hand with sharp nails that yanked her heart, squeezing it, piercing the sensitive organs. Their mere eye-contact was enough for her to feel a sense of dread as if she was going to die. She could not feel the customary warmth he reserved just for her. He regarded her as if she was his enemy. May the G.o.ds have mercy upon whoever he despised for they were all buried six-feet under.
Wei Hantao saw her complexion become lighter than usual. He was worried for her, especially when she stood there unmoving. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind him, blocking her from Yang Feng"s gaze. That was his first mistake.
Yang Feng"s thin patience snapped.