REN
Mr Zhen was daunting. He carried an aura—the kind that told you immediately, that all he required was a single blink to earn you a public execution— and I got all that from just staring at him through the window of his car. Maybe my conversation with Miss Jia Li had something to do with it.
I was too stunned to speak, although I had been hoping tomeet him, I had not actually prepared anything to say to him. I guessed the thought of him being obsessed with me kinda caused me to assume that everything would come naturally after we met.
But looking at him now: sharp eyes, brows set in a prominent arch, lips pressed tightly together that they almost merged, I failed to see any hint that he was the least bit interested, let alone obsessed. Or did my days of avoiding him cause him to develop a disliking towards me. 'Disliking…' No! That couldn't be the case. I gulped. My eyes rapidly blinking of their own accord.
In that moment, I heard a voice in my mind whisper 'The Web', and a crackling heat crawled up my body. With one overly exaggerated smile,—which hopefully distracted from the well that was forming under my eyes— I took a shaky step back.
He cracked his door open and my mouth turned bitter. I got a better whiff of his scent, a mix of Juniper, frosted mint and steel, just like
the first day we met. His steps were well practiced. The clack of his expensive shoes on the pavement as he rounded his car towards me was like a coordinated drumroll announcing my impending demise. Either way, I didn't move.
I straightened my posture as he got closer. Chest puffed, lips pursed, chin propped, eyes tightly locked with his, all to show that I wasn't perturbed by his presence. But internally…
"You're one very difficult omega to track, Ren. At some point, I began to think you were only a figment of my imagination." How I managed to stay on my feet to this point, I had no idea. I was silent for a few seconds, and within those seconds, my main aim was to calm the swarm of bees at the pit of my stomach.
I had already prepared my response in my head, but the delivery. How the words came out, and most importantly, how it sounded to him, really mattered and could just be my only ticket to making it out of here alive and, oh yes, getting into his circle.
Oh boy!
Okay Wutao, just deliver your line and be done with it. Worst case scenario, you die. That doesn't sound so bad, does it? Or you get exposed… and… whoosh!
I cleared my throat, it was do or die at this point. "Well, that depends on who's searching, Mr Zhen." I surprised myself by how smoothly that came out.
He cocked his head, "Is that a jab on my… hunting skills, Ren?" He said 'hunting', right? Everyone heard him say 'hunting', yes? Fuck.
He let out a chuckle when I didn't respond. I decided to ask him the obvious question.
"I was told you've been after me. Is there any
particular reason?"
"I guess you could say our first encounter was
something of an eye opener for me." He released one of his hands from his pocket to trace one of the curls on my cheek, and I shuddered. Definitely not from the cold. He smiled, but there was nothing friendly in his eyes. Call me crazy, but there was a
slight hint of malice.
Was Miss Jia Li right about his intentions behind finding me? Or was he one of those perverts who liked to torture their victims for pleasure? Just then, he dropped his hand, and I released a breath, my head suddenly feeling lighter.
Then, I saw him reach for his pocket, and I stiffened.What was he going for? A knife? A gun? People like him carried on them. Instinctively, my hand went to the zip of my bag. The plan was to quickly dive for my pepper spray and deliver its content into his eyes all within the time frame of him pulling out whatever weapon he was carrying to him actually using it.
How that was going to be possible with my painful slowness and my fucked up aim, I had no idea, but at least I had a plan…
His hand slowly pulled out of his pocket as I also stealthily unzipped, my respiratory system refusing to take in any air. My eyes caught a glimpse of the black solid item and I yelped, jumping back and fiddling with the zip of my bag to get to my weapon.
It was when the item lit up in his hands that I froze. Guns didn't light up, did they? But at that moment, it was too late. Mr Zhen's eyes
widened at me like I had grown a nipple on my forehead
"Ahaha…" I chuckled, avoiding his gaze. Because how else did people come out of such an embarrassing moment? Thankfully, he didn't dwell on it. I guessed he was used to people behaving nonsensically in his presence, or he just didn't regard me as much to be surprised. That last part was a bruise to my ego.
I heard the sound of a motorcycle, causing my gaze to drift to his phone. Although the screen was dark, I could make out what looked like a snake? What the heck was that? Just then, his head snapped up, with a new kind of ambition in his eyes.
"Do you like sports?" That was not the question I was expecting, but I slowly nodded. I didn't care much for sports—I was frail as fuck— but I was saying fucking 'yes' to anything he asked. With caution, of course. His lips curved into a light smirk.
"Perfect. I'll see you tomorrow at 10:00 pm." He said, turning around and beginning to strut to his driver's side. What?
"Wait, what?" I echoed in confusion.
He turned to me calmly with a lifted brow. "Well, it's up to you. Either meet me tomorrow, or see my face every day for the rest of your… career." My lips twitched at the way he said the last word.
"Where are we—"
He didn't wait for me to finish my sentence before getting into his car and starting the engine. Then, looking at me through the cracked window. "Wear something less…" his eyes raked me from head to toes, "…less."
And with that, he rolled up his window, easing his car away from his parking spot, leaving me a blinking mess.
To say I was stunned would be a grave understatement. I mean, I was definitely meeting him tomorrow, and I hoped his friend would be there—wherever he was taking me. My sense of self preservation was nonexistent at this point—, but the nerve of that man to walk out on me in the middle of my sentence… I scoffed.
Just then, my phone vibrated in my palm. 'Your driver has arrived' I looked down the road and saw the white car slowing to a stop. With one last sigh, I made my way to it.
BONUS SCENE
ZHEN LONG
Time: 11:32pm
The lavender scent hit me like a wave the moment I stepped into the main lounge, causing relief to wash over me. He was here.
I took quick steps towards the bar, hoping to find someone I could speak to. Just then, I saw Miss Jia Li strut by. A frown replaced the giddy expression on her face when her gaze fell on me, and I smirked in response.
"He's not here." She snapped before I could say anything. It was an obvious lie, but I didn't probe further. I only nodded.
"I'll be back on Monday." I responded, turning around and walking back to my car.
Why didn't I insist? Well, it was obvious she was bent on not letting me meet him, and I wasn't about to waste my breath on pointless arguments.
There was a solution to every problem.
I turned on the engine of my car, easing out of the driveway. Every employee was bound to close at some point.
I'd just wait.