Chapter 42 - Meeting Ms. Qian Yu (1/2)

~ [Music Recommendation: ”Tiptoe Thru The Tulips” by O'Neill Brothers (instrumental only)-available in Youtube or Spotify] ~ Please listen to it in loop while you read this part to experience the utmost beauty of this chapter

”Ughhh…,” I heard him grunt on the other line. That didn't sound like good news. ”I have to accompany my sister to an event. I'm sorry. Saturday is—”

”It's Guild Wars! Yes. That's okay. We can meet some other time,” I rudely cut him off. Maybe he didn't want to meet and I was just being pushy. It's alright. I won't ask anymore. I'd just wait for him to offer it himself. Yeah, once he's ready.

”... Actually… Nevermind.”

And there was silence. It's been a while since the atmosphere became awkward between us.

”Anyway… thank you very much again. And sorry, but I haven't slept all night so I'm feeling sleepy now.”

”Uhm… Have a good rest.”

”Thanks. Good mornight,” I tried to pull some humour.

”That's new. Good mornight.” Phew. At least the call didn't end too awkward.

After that, I fell asleep like a log. Next thing I knew, it was evening and Hora woke me up saying we should celebrate. When I headed downstairs, everyone prepared a mini celebration for me over hotpot and barbecue. That made me smile in an instant. I loved hotpot and barbecue so much, especially when they use thinly sliced beef or pork in and bite sizes. Dad grilled some salmon for me, too—he knew it was my favorite so there was no way he's gonna miss it. There were cakes and ice creams as well, and fruit shakes. Mom allowed me to drink soda as much as I wanted but just for the night. She always restricted me and my younger brother's soda and junk food intakes which was hard for me because I loved colas. Poor me. Well, it's for our health so I endured it. Though I must admit that sometimes I get a little jelly over my classmates who could drink it freely whenever they wanted. Good thing I had no restriction for the night so I went all out. Mom and dad drank their champagne and wines—a drink I never tasted nor wanted to taste even in my past life—and Hora and my younger brother indulge in the fruit shakes. All in all, we enjoyed our little celebration that night.

Before I knew it, two weeks had gone in flash. Dad and mom helped me arrange for my tickets and ids and all the stuff I might need for my contract discussion and signing, even my nanny's documents. So much for that, dad changed his mind at the last minute and canceled all his business meetings for the whole week of October 12. He said he wanted to accompany me instead. He probably thought that both me and nanny were girls and in case something happened, it would be much better if I was with a man. Well, thanks to that, I felt a little more comfortable and brave since I know my dad would be with me. He's also more knowledgeable when it comes to business management and contracts so it's a win-win situation for me. I felt sorry for mom though, since she would be left to take care of everything business-related.

And so, October 12th came. We bid our farewell to mom and my younger brother before boarding the plane. It took us four hours and 12 minutes to arrive at the capital of the Land of the Red Dragon. From there, we were welcomed by an entourage of men in black suits, and Ms. Qian Yu herself, as she kindly introduced herself to us-a middle-aged woman with burgundy hair, tall and slim stature, and a nice smile. She wore a black fitted dress topped with white blazer, and red stilettos. On her eyes were dark tinted sunglasses, and she wore a black velvet hat. She took off her sunglasses when she greeted us over a hand shake, revealing her pretty brown eyes. Overall, she was really pretty that I could mistake her for a celebrity. Maybe well-known Executive Producers were considered celebrities? She was probably wearing the sunglasses and the hat as a disguise. And that explained the … bodyguards?

After the quick introductions, Ms Qian Yu guided us towards her car which we used to go to their main office. As we drove towards the place, my remaining doubts were washed away. Ms. Qian Yu explained everything to us along the way. I felt my heartbeat getting louder and louder in excitement. And when we finally reached the main office of Red Dragon Films, I wanted to drop dead on the spot. It was all real! Not some scam, not some daydream. It was legit real!