ROBOMIND-TECH OFFICE
After getting off from the chopper, Xiu Mei put on her mask and hastened her footsteps towards her cabin. Despite her eyes were covered, but her face looked tempestuous, making the managers tremble on their feet. "What happened to President XM? Is something wrong with the company?"
"Hey XM, your meeting with…."
"Xin make sure no one disturbs me. Cancel all my meetings except the one with Feng Corporation CEO" Xiu Mei ordered coldly and went inside her cabin.
"Sur…" Before Bai Xin could say "sure" Xiu Mei was already inside her cabin. Huo Feng was with Bai Xin, discussing some important points for the meeting when he saw Xiu Mei acting out of her normal behavior. He exchanged glances with Xin, who shrugged her shoulder indicating "I-HAVE-NO-IDEABOUT-THIS"
"BAM" Xiu Mei banged the door with great force, making its sound reverberate in the corridor.
"a.s.sistant Xin, What happened to President XM?" A frightened employee asked.
One of them looked at Huo Feng, "Sir, you are not only the head of the legal department but Vice President of our company. Is our company in a problem? Is the company going for major layoff?"
Huo Feng was himself confused about XM"s behavior. "Don"t worry too much. Return back to your work. It must be some random issues; I"ll check and let you all know"
"Please… We all are waiting" confused employees went back to their workstations. But the news spread like a fire in the office that their President is in a bad mood today. No one dared to slack off from their work to avoid getting terminated from the company.
Xiu Mei poured herself a gla.s.s of chilled water to calm down herself. Instead of taking a sip, she gulped down the water in one go as if wanted to numb the uncomfortable feeling inside her chest. She slumped down on the bed on her stomach in the resting lounge of her office.
Panting heavily she looked at the balcony longingly, where a pair of Pigeons have built a nest in a corner and laid two eggs. She remembered how she issued the notice in the office, warning every janitor to not dare to step inside the balcony. She was afraid they will scare the birds and make them run away, abandoning their babies behind.
How much she wished someone was there to protect her as well when she was separated from her parents. She wondered how different her life must be if she was still with her parents. Streaming tears rolled down from eyes, floating from the corners of eyes inside the soft mattress.
She can"t believe his own grandfather did this to her. Everybody had seen her crying in those painful nights of recuperation but only she knows how much she wished for a family member near her at that time.
Yet Mr. Zeng never told her that he is her grandfather, she can rest her head on his lap and expect a caressing hand on her forehead. Taking him as a stranger, she restrained her feelings every time he approached her.
Despite his multiple requests she never dared to address him as a grandfather. Thinking of the huge status gap between them, she chose to call him Mr. Zeng respectfully.
Every time Mr. Zeng proffered a helping hand to help her to get up from a wheelchair, she used to accept it reluctantly but never dared to lean her head on his shoulder.
Whenever he did something for her, she wrote it down in her diary, reminding her to return the favor in the future. All these years she was always respectful and caring towards him, taking it as her moral duty to show her grat.i.tude for the old man for saving her life.
How she wished he had told her about his ident.i.ty seven years back. If he had.... last seven years would have been so different… So much better…. So much blissful… But NO.... He chose to keep the things under wraps and act as a G.o.dfather to her.
"What was the need for this?"
"Why didn"t he told me everything the moment I woke up?"
"Why this betrayal?"
"Where are my parents?"
"What happened to my mother?"
"How did he came to know about me?"
"XM?"
"XM…?"
Xiu Mei heard a soft voice calling out her name….
She jerked from her sleep when Bai Xin came to her cabin and gently rubbed her shoulder. Crying her eyes out for don"t know how long, fighting with various thoughts running inside her mind, unknowingly she went into a deep sleep after her body refused to fight anymore.
Her face was still facing the balcony, so Bai Xin can"t see her swollen eyes and red face. "Get me a double shot espresso coffee" Without facing her a.s.sistant she ordered lying in the same position.
"XM, double shot espresso would be too strong. I"ve prepared Matcha tea for you. Come an…"
"Xin, don"t lecture me. Get me a double shot espresso… NOW" Xiu Mei ordered harshly before pulling the pillow over her face.
By the time Bai Xin came with coffee Xiu Mei had washed her face and applied some makeup to hide her puffy eyes. Sitting on her chair, she was writing annotations on the doc.u.ments prepared by Huo Feng to mark the important points to be discussed in the meeting.
"Is everything prepared" Without lifting her eyes up Xiu Mei asked, while Bai Xin was looking at Xiu Mei with sharp eyes.
"Yes, President XM"
"You and Huo Feng will follow me there. Prepare the chopper and ask Yeti to drive my car to the Feng Corporation. I might drive back home later"
Xin noticed something unusual in Xiu Mei"s att.i.tude, but could not exactly place her finger at what could it be. And judging by the coldness in her voice, although it is not a good idea to ask any question as of now but Xin can"t stop herself when it comes to Xiu Mei.
"Er…. XM?"
"Hm" Xiu Mei acknowledged her with a sound
"Er… You seem to be a bit off today. Is something the matter?" Bai Xin pressed her lips and asked gently, "I know I should not interfere in your personal life, but if something is bothering you, I"m all ears"
Xiu Mei gulped hard hearing Bai Xin say it like this. The tears that have not dried yet completely, threatened to come back again. She closed her eyes to take a deep breath. "It"s nothing… Thanks for the concern"
Xiu Mei raised her head up to look at her secretary and gave an unconvincing smile. "Let"s go… This meeting is important"