"Go away!" Yuan Ling scoffed dismissively. "Do you think you can just see the president of Seth whenever you want? You'll probably be kicked out the door before you even get a chance to meet him."
"Hey, isn't that perfect? Just the right time to escape this misery!" Hmm, not bad! Sisi nodded to herself. If it succeeded, she'd be getting a good deal; if it failed, she could use the opportunity to leave and vent her anger by cursing that bastard CEO. Wow! That's perfect!
"Forget it! You'll never get to see him." It wasn't that she looked down on Sisi, but very few people had actually met President Seth. Such a mysterious figure was far beyond the reach of little Sisi.
"Really? I've been Seth's slave for almost four months, and my biggest achievement is that there's not a single floor in the company I can't go on. So, hehehe, just wait, President, if your subordinates don't behave themselves, hmph, I, Du Sisi, will be pointing my finger at you and yelling!"
Du Yunhao's smile deepened. This idiotic woman, it's hard to say who'll throw a tantrum. He slowly strolled back to the kitchen, planning his next move.
"Shouldn't you be in a meeting right now?" Joel asked impatiently, watching David walk into the CEO's office. David sat down at his desk nonchalantly.
"I think so."
"Then what the hell are you doing here?" Joel snapped.
“Of course, it’s to relay Mother’s orders,” David said with a smug grin as Joel walked helplessly toward the bar. “And a drink too.”
"What big thing is it this time?" Joel asked sarcastically, leaning against the bar with his drink. "Mom told me I must..." David paused, picking up the intercom that suddenly rang on the table.
"President's office." There was silence on the other end of the line. David looked at the phone suspiciously. Was it broken? Then he put it back to his ear and tried again. "Hello?"
"Who are you?" came a hesitant boy's voice. "Little brother, you've dialed the wrong number..." Before he could finish speaking, the phone was snatched from David's hand.
"Hello! Is that you? Why haven't you contacted me in so long? Are you coming over now?" Joel asked expectantly. It was just a boy he'd only met a few times, so why couldn't he control his eager anticipation and reaction? It was truly baffling. Was this what the Chinese called fate?
"Ha! You seem quite happy to hear my voice." The boy laughed happily.
Yes! Are you coming over?
"You seem to still have people over there?"
“He’s just an unimportant person; I can get rid of him right away.”
Joel gestured for David to get lost, but David calmly shook his head. "I'm hungry. I'll wait for you at the McDonald's we went to last time."
"OK, I'll be right there." Joel held the microphone between his chin and began organizing the documents on the table with both hands.
"Bye-Bye!"
"Bye!" Joel put down the microphone, grabbed his coat, and walked out.
"Since you don't want to leave, you can have that stack of documents on the table."
"What?! Hey..." David watched helplessly as his son walked away. By the time Joel arrived at McDonald's, the boy was already enjoying his meal.
Joel stared at the table piled high with hamburgers, fries, chicken nuggets, and cola. "Good heavens! Can you even finish all of this?" The food on the table was enough for about four people.
The boy glanced at him. "Of course you're responsible for the food I can't finish!"
"No way, how can I possibly finish all this?" Joel took off his coat and put it on the back of the chair, then rolled up his shirt sleeves and started eating the food in front of him, his eyes habitually lingering on the boy's face.
"Why do you always wear a mask?" The boy shrugged, watching him eat intently. "If I ask you some personal questions, will you answer me honestly? And I hope you won't ask me why."
Joel looked at him with surprise, then said, "If that's what you want, then fine."
The boy watched with satisfaction as Joel opened the second hamburger, then downed half a glass of cola in one gulp. "Why aren't you married yet?"
"I have no plans to get married." This answer made the boy frown.
"Why?"
Joel shrugged. "I'm just missing someone I want to spend my whole life with."
"Never before?"
Joel suddenly stopped eating. After a long while, he slowly raised his eyes to stare at the boy, his gaze gradually becoming deep and hazy, as if he were involuntarily drawn into a vortex of memories. Complex emotions constantly shifted across his face: passionate love, sweet happiness, painful sorrow, resentment, and melancholy.
The boy didn't urge him, but just fiddled with the fries and waited quietly.
After a long silence, Joel whispered, "Ten years ago, I was with a woman, a very lovely little woman, and that was the only time I ever had the thought of getting married."
Why didn't you marry her?
“She left me,” Joel replied, his pain barely concealed.
"Why?"
Joel sighed softly. "To be honest, I want to know why too. She didn't tell me why, not even goodbye. She just left without a word."
"Didn't you try to contact her?"
He gave a bitter smile. "How can I find her? The name she gave me was a fake. I love her deeply, but she's been deceiving me from beginning to end!"
“Hmm, that’s really bad, isn’t it?” The boy peeked at Joel. “A complete and utter liar!”
Joel instinctively opened his mouth to argue, but didn't know what to say, so he could only let out another sigh.
"Do you hate her?" the boy asked again.
"Hate her?" Joel asked himself. "No, she's not a woman you can hate, she is... no, I don't hate her, I just really want to understand why she did this to me?"
“Idiot woman!” the boy muttered. “The next question is important, very important, and you must think it through before you answer.” He took a deep breath and asked, “Do you still love her?”
Joel stared at the boy for a while. "I think I need a drink," he muttered to himself.
"I heard you!" the boy said with a smile, handing him a Coke. "Drinking too much alcohol is bad for your health, have some Coke instead!"
"why do you ask……"