Enhebrando sentimientos

Capítulo 1

Chapter One: "Twined threads of affection" by Yu Xin

Inside the waiting room of Chiang Kai-shek International Airport, a pretty young woman in her late twenties with a Diana-style short haircut glanced nervously at the exit gate, looking ready to run away at any moment. "Lingling, do I...do I really have to go? I...I think maybe...maybe..." "Come on! Taiwan is so small, it's not easy to even meet up, let alone in the United States." Yuan Ling, dressed smartly in denim, patted Du Sisi's shoulder to comfort her.

"But... what if we run into..." Sisi quietly took a step away.

"I...I really don't know what to do?"

Yuan Ling immediately pulled her back to her side, "Alright! With me as your backer, what are you afraid of? Besides," Yuan Ling pointed to the boy who was fiercely beating up the "Taiwanese boy" nearby, "there's also our genius little handsome boy Hao Hao. If there's anything to do, just let him do it. If there are any problems, just dump them all on him." Si Si couldn't help but find it both funny and exasperating, "Why? Make him duel with his dad?"

Yuan Ling raised her eyebrows.

"That's cool! A showdown between handsome men of all ages, a battle of the century!"

Seeing that Sisi seemed even more hesitant, she quickly changed the subject, saying, "Alright, alright, I promise it's nothing. The important thing is that this concerns Hao Hao's future. Getting a recommendation from the Education Bureau to go to university in the US is a rare opportunity, and we can't give it up easily. Just think, a nine-year-old college student, how awesome is that! He can hold his head high in front of foreigners." "Have you forgotten? His daddy is American too," Sisi said dismissively. "His blue eyes are obviously foreign." "So what!" Yuan Ling raised her eyebrows, "His mommy gave birth to him and raised him, so he's definitely a native-born. As for the blue eyes... hehe, let's just say it's a genetic mutation." After saying that, the two looked at each other and finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.

After a few laughs, Yuan Ling suddenly spoke up as if she had remembered something, "By the way, there's something strange. Why did that handsome young man insist that my dad arrange a job for you at the Seth Group headquarters? Do you know how difficult that is? He said any job would do, even a cleaner." 'Seth?' Sisi's eyes widened in surprise. "Please, getting into Seth isn't easy. You need at least a university degree, then go through layers of exams, and even after being accepted, regardless of your degree, you have to start as a junior employee and climb the ranks based on your abilities. Actually, just getting accepted is admirable enough, and I'm just a vocational high school graduate. That kid actually wants me to get into Seth?" Yuan Ling shrugged. "He insisted, and you know my dad dotes on him the most. Whatever he says goes, so he's already forced you in. It's not a cleaner, but just a small clerk position. But it's not easy either; he's asked a lot of people for help, so you'll just have to make do. For your precious son's future, why worry so much?" Sisi's eyes widened even more. "Good heavens, did Uncle really bring me into Seth?!"

Yuan Ling waved her hand, "My dad has connections in Seth. Okay, okay, none of that matters. What matters is," she said, casually slipping her hair aside, "Have you contacted your family?" Upon hearing this, Sisi immediately lowered her head. "Yes."

"What do you mean by 'hmm'? What exactly did you say?" Yuan Ling raised her voice in displeasure.

“It’s the same old story. They said they’d contact me if anything came up, and told me not to contact them anymore,” Sisi said, frustrated and helpless. Yuan Ling rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Honestly, any deep-seated hatred should have faded by now, especially since it’s just an unmarried pregnancy. It’s all the rage these days! Besides, they were the instigators of this whole thing, and they dare to go back on their word?” She waved her hand. “Forget it, forget it! I don’t need such materialistic and heartless family! You have Hao Hao and me, that’s enough. Oh, by the way, my parents asked me to give you this as a blessing for you and their godson as you begin a new chapter. Don’t refuse it, or you’ll be disrespecting them!” she warned. Sisi took the brown paper bag from Yuan Ling without even glancing at it. She knew it contained scrap paper for her daily needs. After thanking her, she muttered to herself, "A new phase? I think it's a phase of worry!" "Here we go again, please, it's been ten years already, just forget about him!" Yuan Ling was exhausted and had no way to deal with her. "How can I forget him when I see him every day?" Sisi murmured. "Every day...you mean Hao Hao? Does he really look that much like him?" "Exactly the same, this kid even asked to grow his hair as long as his father's," Sisi glanced at Hao Hao's ponytail. "I really suspect he's seen his dad?" "Really? They haven't had a chance to meet, and besides, he doesn't even know who his father is, does he? I think it's probably because the father and son have similar behavior patterns." Her suspicious gaze lingered on Hao Hao, and Sisi pouted, "I hope so."

Boston, the capital of Massachusetts, is known as the cradle of freedom in the United States because it was the birthplace of the struggle for independence from British rule in North America more than two centuries ago. Boston is also a center of industry, commerce, and finance, with its expansive Government Center and towering office buildings being particularly striking. On the other hand, its brick buildings and cobblestone streets, dating back to the founding of the nation, still retain their original character, giving one the feeling of being in Europe. The headquarters of the Seth Corporation, ranked as one of the world's six largest companies by Forbes magazine, is located in the heart of the area along both sides of Interstate 128 in Boston, a region that has been a hub of high-tech industries, top universities, and financial capital since World War II. The Seth Corporation is a renowned family business. What makes it unique is that while most large companies release varying amounts of shares, the Seth Corporation manages to keep all shares in the family's hands. This means the wealth of the corporation is essentially family property, making it one of the three richest family businesses in the world. Especially the current president, Joel Rox, is said to be the most shrewd and capable member of the family in history. He is ruthless, decisive, and possesses a unique and forward-thinking vision. He doesn't miss any opportunity to profit; the Seth Corporation exists wherever there are people in the world. He is a legendary tycoon in the business world, having expanded the Seth Corporation's wealth more than tenfold in just ten years. However, Joel almost never appears in social settings, as everyone knows he vehemently dislikes his private life being exposed. Once, a magazine published a blurry, distant profile photo of him, and the magazine went out of business two days later; since then, no media outlet has dared to bother him again. Furthermore, this young and wealthy president is also a rare handsome man. Countless socialites, celebrities, models, and even aristocratic heiresses have pursued him, yet he has never been involved in any scandals. At this moment, in the top-floor CEO's office of the Seth Corporation headquarters, a young, handsome man sitting at a massive desk was passionately trying to persuade a cool, serious, yet still elegant and charming man behind the desk. "...So, Mom ordered that you absolutely must go back on Saturday," the young man finally concluded. The handsome man behind the desk didn't react, still intently staring at the computer screen, his long fingers rapidly tapping the keyboard. "Joel, are you even listening to me?" the young man, David, impatiently tapped the desk. Joel turned around, picked up a data sheet from the desk, compared it to the computer screen, and said calmly, "What did you just say?" "Damn it! I've been talking for so long, my mouth is dry, and you... Hey! Hey! If you don't stop and listen to me, I'm going to ask Mom to talk to you herself." David stood up angrily, ready to leave. Joel finally looked up at him. "Get to the point, keep it short, don't ramble on."

"Hmph! I bet you're not afraid of Mom coming to your door herself." David sat back down, casually crossing his legs. "To put it simply, Mom wants you to come back on Saturday for a dinner party she's hosting especially for you, and to also get your opinion on the many elegant ladies she's invited." He cut straight to the point. Impressive. David basked in his own self-satisfaction.

"Oh," Joel simply replied, then buried himself in his work.

"Oh?" David suddenly raised his voice. "What does 'oh' mean? Are you going back or not?"

"I'm not going back."

"What? Not going back?" David raised his voice in exasperation upon hearing this.

"What am I going to tell Mom when I get back?"

"No time."

"Damn it, no time! The company spends a huge sum on salaries every year, and it's all going down the drain!" David roared angrily, then abruptly stood up, stormed to the office bar, poured himself a glass of whiskey, and gulped it down. After exhaling, he poured himself another glass, slowly strolled back to his chair, and sat down, sipping his whiskey while carefully scrutinizing Joel's gloomy and cold expression. Ever since he insisted on breaking off the engagement ten years ago, Joel had completely changed. The corners of his mouth no longer curved into a smile; instead, they were tightly pursed. His eyes were no longer gentle; their stern, cold gaze was filled with mockery. He was no longer the humorous, warm, and cheerful older brother he once knew, but a ruthless predator in the business world. What had changed him? David pondered.

"Brother."

"Hmm?" Joel responded without looking up.

How have you been lately?

"Hmm," David called again, "brother."

"Um?"

"Your change... is it because of that princess? It seems like whenever you're around, her adoring gaze always follows you. If you like her, why not..." David's guess was interrupted before he could finish. "What princess?" Joel asked without looking up.

"Judging from your tone, then it's not that princess, but the heiress of the Weihan Group? She told me privately that she admires you very much." "If you like, you can stay." Joel's tone was flat, without even raising an eyebrow.

"Are you kidding me? I don't want to be torn to pieces by Shana." Just imagining his wife's fierce temper made him break out in a cold sweat. David quickly poured himself another glass of wine to calm his nerves. "Since she's not a princess, nor an heiress, then who is she..." David, holding his wine glass, began pacing back and forth in the office. "Oh! By the way, isn't she the female president of the Jing Chain Department Store? Although she lacks a bit of femininity, she seems to get along quite well with you." "Boring." Joel remained unmoved.

"Bullshit! It's wrong again?" David glared dejectedly at his older brother, whose eyes were only on work.

“Damn it! Why can’t you just be honest? You weren’t like this before, I remember…” He suddenly paused, then, as if remembering something, said, “Right, right, how could I forget her? Helen, it’s Helen, God! It must be her. Did you break off your engagement with her but are too embarrassed to ask her again? Don’t worry, she’s still waiting for you. As long as you ask, I guarantee she’ll agree.” David looked confident. “Hmph!” Joel snorted, his fingers flying across the keyboard.

"Huh? Isn't it?" David frowned, puzzled. "It should be her! Ever since you broke off your engagement ten years ago, you've completely changed. And during that time, I only ever heard you mention Helen... Oh, right, and when you were still at Harvard, you mentioned a girl a few times when you called home, I think her name was..." David suddenly snapped his fingers and shouted, "Casey, her name is Casey!" The entire office fell silent at David's shout. After a moment, David cautiously turned to look at Joel, as if facing a formidable enemy. Joel's hands were on the keyboard, his eyes fixed on the computer screen, seemingly oblivious to everything else. "Brother?" David called out uneasily. Joel visibly snapped out of his daze, abruptly stood up, turned around, and hurried to the glass curtain wall, his hands trembling slightly as he put them into his pockets. Damn it! Ten years had passed, and this name was like a curse deeply etched into his heart, impossible to erase. That face, which had haunted him for ten years, resurfaced in his mind. A surge of passion coursed through him like a raging fire, threatening to consume him. All these years, only she could inspire such a mad, obsessive love in him. When she left, he was filled with shock, anger, and confusion. Why? Why did she just leave without a word? Did he mean nothing to her? Were all those moments of mutual affection, intense love, and infatuation, as illusory as her name? For a long time, he was like a caged beast, restless and filled with resentment, unable to vent his anger. Deep heartache became his only companion. He drowned his sorrows in alcohol, but it couldn't alleviate the pain. His thoughts had been consumed by her for ten years, unable to escape. Time couldn't erase the sweetness and ecstasy of their time together. No other woman could so tightly grip his heart, so completely subjugating him. In the past, he suppressed his pain, hoping to forget her image for a moment, but now he let the bitterness filling his chest stir up her beautiful smiling face, vividly appearing before his eyes, beyond his control. Damn woman! His fists clenched, and veins bulged on his forehead.

David silently approached him, forcefully pulled his hand away from his fist, and shoved a glass of wine into his hand. Joel stared at the wine in his hand, as if he couldn't understand what it was for a moment. Slowly, he relaxed his tense nerves, tilted his head back and drank the wine, let out a heavy sigh, blinked his sore eyes, stretched the stiff muscles in his neck, and then slowly walked back to his chair. "Are you alright?" David asked worriedly; he had never seen his older brother so lost in thought.

“It’s nothing.” Joel stopped working, staring blankly ahead with unfocused eyes and a blank expression. “Brother, you… um… haven’t you tried looking for her again?” David asked cautiously. His brother had finally let down his guard for a while; he wanted to find out as soon as possible. “No leads.” Joel closed his eyes wearily.

"You know her name, don't you?"

“That’s a fake name.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and blurted it out unconsciously.

David asked in surprise, "What? Fake name Yu? How...how did you know?"

"I've investigated."

"Can't you find any information at all?"

Joel gave a mocking sneer. "We found a whole bunch of Caseies, but none of them are her."

"No way? Really not a single clue? What should we do?" David frowned thoughtfully. No, it seemed his brother's happiness depended entirely on him; how could he give up so easily? No, he couldn't give up; he had to think of a solution quickly. "How about this, I'll handle this. But first, you have to tell me what you plan to do after you find her?" He could think of a solution later; explaining this to his mother was more important. Otherwise, this "blind date" that happened every few days would never end. His fists clenched again, his face tense. Joel answered through gritted teeth, "Strangle her first, then ask her why? And then strangle her again." "Huh?" David was speechless, dumbfounded.

Boston is not only a historic city in the United States, but also the academic and cultural center of New England, often referred to as the Athens of North America—a metropolis steeped in culture. Boston University, along with MIT and Harvard University, located across the Charles River, are all situated in Boston's Cambridge district, making it renowned as an educational and academic city. As one of the earliest developed cities in the Eastern United States, Boston can also be considered the most British-like city in America, possessing less of the ruggedness of older Americans and more of the elegance of England. This large city also encompasses a wealth of historical and artistic culture.

Like New York and Washington, D.C., Boston has a well-developed subway system, divided into four lines: red, orange, blue, and green, radiating outwards from the city center. The red line runs southeast from Harvard University through downtown, while the orange line, which runs north-south, connects at city interchange stations to Chinatown. There are many people of Asian descent in Boston, and encountering Chinese people on the subway is a welcome sight. Boston's Chinatown is slightly larger than Washington, D.C.'s, bustling and vibrant, offering all the necessities and services, along with numerous restaurants and eateries, just like most neighborhoods. Even in the height of summer, Boston already feels slightly autumnal. Peeking out the window, Tahoot University Medical School looks like a cram school, and the noise and crowds of Chinatown are clearly visible from above. This is a small apartment on the second floor of a building in Boston's Chinatown. The small two-bedroom apartment with a kitchen and bathroom is clean and comfortable, and Yuan Ling had specially booked it for her in advance. The neighbors on all sides are Chinese, and although they don't always speak the same language, the atmosphere is warm and welcoming. Sisi is an ordinary woman, her only extraordinary quality being being an unwed mother, while Du Yunhao is a seemingly serious but secretly mischievous and unruly individual. Despite his mischievousness, Du Yunhao is very considerate. Aside from his penchant for teasing his mother, he never causes her any trouble. He always takes good care of himself, requiring no worry from Sisi. Every day, he gets up automatically, prepares himself, then kicks his mother, who is always reluctant to leave the bed, out of bed before heading to school. If Sisi isn't home from get off work when he returns from school, he goes to the supermarket to buy groceries and cooks dinner himself. Since coming to the US to work at Seth's headquarters, for the past two months, except for the first week, Sisi hasn't done a single household chore. Du Yunhao has taken care of everything. Just then, as Sisi stepped out of her bedroom, she saw breakfast on the living room table. Her son had already tidied up and was reading a book, perhaps because it was his first day without classes. Du Yunhao glanced at his mother. "Mommy, when did you switch careers to become a teacher?" He couldn't help but say something sarcastic. Sisi remained silent, staring at the stack of homework in her hands for a long time before finally deciding not to throw them on the ground and stomp on them with her shoes. But she still had to complain a bit to vent her anger, and the best target was, of course, her son, the culprit. "I just don't understand, Haohao, why do you insist that I go to Seth? Your Grandpa Yuan has a branch here too, why can't I work for him?" A mysterious smile appeared on Du Yunhao's lips as he lowered his eyes to avoid his mother's attack. "Breakfast is ready, Mommy, it'll get cold if you don't eat soon!" Sisi scoffed, "Don't give me that, kid, answer me!"

"Mommy, I always have a reason for doing things, you know that, don't you?"

"Yeah, most of the reasons are to mess with me!" Sisi muttered.

"I really don't understand why you like to tease me so much? Do I look that stupid? Hmm... maybe I should find a chance to teach you a lesson..." "Mommy, if you're not afraid of being late, you can keep nagging, but if you don't want to be late..." Du Yunhao gestured with his wristwatch as a warning. "You'd better hurry up!" He really didn't understand why this woman, who was so old, was still so carefree. She clearly loved to sleep in, but didn't understand that once she got up, she should act quickly and efficiently, always dragging her feet until the last second before she became anxious. Sisi exclaimed in surprise, quickly picked up her porridge and ate it in large mouthfuls, then went back to her room, grabbed her purse, and ran to the door to put on her shoes. Five seconds later, the door slammed shut with a loud bang. Du Yunhao stared at the door, beginning to wonder if his father would still remember his mother? Maybe he was so happy when his mother ran away back then that he went to set off firecrackers! Across the street from the headquarters of the Seth Corporation, a boy stood.

He looked up at the building. "So this is Daddy's company. It's huge," he murmured to himself. Then he slowly lowered his head, pondered for a moment, and looked up again at the entrance. "Now, the only question is how to get in." A moment later, in the building's underground parking lot, the boy stepped confidently into the CEO's private elevator, stuffing a few small tools back into his backpack. After the elevator doors closed, he pressed the button for the top floor, the sixtieth floor, and took out the gadgets from his backpack. He first put on a Batman mask, covering the upper half of his face, then tied his hair up with a headband, put on a baseball cap backwards, and tucked all his hair in. A mysterious smile appeared on his lips. "Now, Daddy, your son has a big surprise for you!"

"Jasmine, bring in the faxes from the UK and Canada, and if the meeting reports are ready, bring them in too. Remind the vice president to attend the banquet tonight, don't skip it again. Organize this data sheet and distribute it to the department heads at tomorrow's meeting, and also..." Joel had just stepped out of the president's private elevator and was already giving his secretary, Jasmine, a series of instructions. Jasmine followed him into the president's office, taking notes as she went. Even after Joel sat down in his extra-large high-backed chair, she continued talking. "...Okay, that's it. See if you can finish it before you leave work." Finally, he finished one task and turned on his computer to connect with the branches in Eastern Europe. After Jasmine left and closed the door, the only sound in the president's office was the crisp clatter of the computer keyboard. After some time, the typing suddenly stopped, and Joel abruptly turned his head, his sharp blue eyes immediately fixed on the boy sitting casually at his desk, leisurely munching on a peach. Two pairs of identical blue eyes stared at each other for a moment before Joel slowly leaned back in his high-backed chair, placing his hands on the armrests. "Who are you? How did you get in? What do you want?" His tone was calm and composed, as if seeing a strange boy in an office was perfectly normal. The boy took the last bite of the peach and held up another peach in his other hand. "I took it from your fridge, it's delicious! Want some?" "I'll ask you one more time, who are you?"

“Batman, huh?” the boy said, pointing to his face.

Joel frowned slightly. "What are you going to do?"