“Ms. Baker, the guests want a drink, but right now I’m busy with something else and I don’t have a drink ticket on hand, so I really don’t know what to do.”
“Drinking? Who wants a drink?” She subconsciously wrinkled her eyebrows.
“I’m not sure about the details. It was Mr. Xiao’s assistant who came over to speak with me.”
Feng? Jerry Xiao wants a drink?
“Just say you don’t have a drink ticket in your hand either. They won’t force it.”
“But …” Jing Si was in a difficult position, “Madam just called and asked us to try our best to meet all their needs. If Madam knows that we can’t fulfill even this little request, I’m only afraid that …”
Zoey stroked her forehead. It was true that she couldn’t go against her godmother’s words. After all, this cooperation project was a very big case, completely related to the future expansion of her godmother’s career into the country.
“I know, I’ll take care of it.” Zoey disconnected the call and then picked out a random set of clothes traditional light blue robe with intricate floral patterns tattooed out in gold threads on the robe – a gift that her godmother had brought back to her the last time she had gone to Egypt.
She slipped it on and put the kids to bed before grabbing her bag and car keys and getting ready to head out the door.
When she came downstairs, she met Mrs. Shamley and Owen, who had just returned .
“Eh, Zoey , why are you out so late?”
“Godmother, I’m going to deliver the drink tickets to the people from MY group.” Zoey explained.
Owen Baker heard the name of that company and glanced up at her in his habitual way, and her eyes were cast right back at him. “Want me to go with you?”
“If you’re tired …”
Owen smiled and spread his hands, “Come on, give me the keys. I’ll drive you.”
Zoey smiled broadly, “Thank you, brother.”
“Okay, okay, hurry up and go. Remember to come back early in a while too.” Mrs. Shamli admonished the two.
“Yes, Godmother.” Zoey answered crisply.
…
Car, walking on the desert. The vastness of the desert, in the darkness of the night can not see the edge. The windows of the car were closed tightly, and Zoey could almost still feel the wind whistling outside the window. The whole world seemed to be more quiet at this moment, only the sound of the wind could be heard.
Owen Baker inclined his face to look at her, “The head of this program changed?”
Zoey froze for a moment, still looking out the window, and said only softly, “How did you know?”
“Just look at your face. I’ve seen you lost in thought and silent all the way.”
Zoey didn’t make a sound, just took a heavy breath. Owen Baker glanced at her and his hand went over to her, gently patting her on the shoulder reassuringly, “Take it easy, if you’re afraid it’s going to be so tough, you might as well leave the rest of the work to me.”
“I’d better give it a try, I’ll try to treat him like a stranger.” Zoey made up her mind.
Owen Baker smiled readily and brought the car to a stop, his lower jaw comparing it to the brightly lit hotel in front of him, “Here we are. I’ll meet you here and call if I need anything.”
“Okay, brother.” Zoey got out of the car and called Jingles and asked for the room number before walking into the hotel.
Standing in the lobby, she took a long breath before getting on the elevator. 35th floor, room 3521, she stood right outside the door, straightening her back and ringing the bell. She didn’t know who was inside the door.
The door, was pulled open, and when she saw that it was Feng, her heart was relieved, and after the relief, an inexplicable emotion came up.
“Secretary Baker, long time no see.” There was no trace of surprise in his tone, and it was clear that he knew it was her who was coming.
“It’s been a long time.” Zoey smiles shallowly.
“Come in first.” He turned sideways and let Zoey in. The moment she entered, Zoey froze. Heartbeat, inexplicably accelerated. Because …
In this room, not only was there Feng, but there was also an extra person. He, wearing a casual pullover, was sitting in that leather sofa. Legs folded, eyes slightly narrowed, he was idly looking over towards her.
Zoey’s heart leapt, and what she thought was already calm there, was beating extremely fast. Subconsciously, she took a step back and squeezed the bag in her hand.
It was then that Zoey could really see clearly that he had lost a lot of weight after not seeing him for eight months. The contour is more and more three-dimensional and clear, the lines are deep. The heart subconsciously tightened, separated by a distance of a few meters, staring at that face in a daze, the bottom of the heart for a moment is actually a hundred turns.
Really determined not to see him again because, well, there’s no point in seeing him again.
She looked at him, and he looked at her, and suddenly, stood up. Like that prostrate sleeping lion in the wilderness, he finally woke up and pressed her tightly. She was startled, but she heard Fung say, “You guys talk, I’ll go out and get a file first.”
Afon said, and regardless of anything else, pulled the door open and turned around.
At that moment, the whole room, all of a sudden only Zoey and Jerry Xiao confronted each other there. For a long time, the two did not speak, the space, unusually quiet. zoey almost can hear each other’s heavy breathing and the rate of heartbeat.
“If it’s all right, I’ll be off.” She said hastily. With her mind suddenly in a mess, she had even forgotten the purpose of her being here so late in the evening. Even after all the mental preparations for the possibility of seeing him before entering, all that mental building was for nothing after seeing him.
She gripped her bag tightly and turned to leave. Before she could put her hand on the door handle, her elbow was pulled unexpectedly. She was pulled back by him in a flash, her entire body leaning helplessly against the door panel, “Mr. Zhan, please respect yourself.”
====
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you… “Finally, he opened his mouth. His voice was slightly hoarse, and his eyes always looked closely at her face, as if he wanted to catch every nuance of her expression. Zoey took a deep breath, “It’s been a long time. The good thing is, we … are both doing well …”
He raised his lips slightly, “Well, I can see that you’re really having a good time.” And he … wasn’t having a good time at all! Has already wandered around in hell. Even now, awake, it’s just a soulless body …
Because, he, lost the most most important thing …
His eyes, running over her, looked at her and her whole body stiffened.
“You’ve adapted well to life here. The robes, they’re beautiful.”
Zoey didn’t seem to expect him to say that, and froze for a split second before opening her lips, “Thanks … Thanks.”
“I really didn’t expect to meet you on my first day in Doha.” He didn’t look like he was going to let her go at all, instead he chatted with her. With one hand still gripping her arm tightly, he raised one hand up and his fingertips lifted the hair around her ears, landing on half of her small face.
The fingertips were cold, slightly pale, and landed on her skin, causing her to shiver softly, but only to feel her face roll like fire.
====
Zoey, however, was the first to snap back, “Let go! We are not strangers, not at all! I still remember you, hate you, and annoy you!”
Leaning into his arms, her emotions flared up, her sharp eyes staring at him, her eyes reddening all of a sudden, “As soon as you show up, you can act as if the past never happened, and you can face me in such a calm, even such a titanic manner, but please consider my feelings as well. I can’t see you as if nothing happened.”
As long as she saw him, she would think of the baby that was going to be removed by his own hands. She thought, it must be that the baby knew that even his daddy didn’t want him, that’s why he left in that kind of desperation, and in the future, never to come … again
Her tears, all at once, fell. That one, all like a heavy hammer, hammered on his heart. In his chest, the pain was so great that it was stifling. He knew that she must still hate herself, but hearing her say it in her own words was still this hard.
But his arm would not let go of her at all; he was afraid that, if he did so, she would never come back.
“Mr. Zhan, please let me go. We are only in a cooperative relationship now, if you still want to be like this … I think we may have to find someone else to take charge of this project …”
She threatened him?
The color of his eyes grew deeper and deeper, as if there was a dangerous aura surging. The large palm that clasped her arm, loosened and tightened, tightened and loosened. As if struggling with whether or not to just let her go.
But in the end, he didn’t let go.
====