
I woke up, when there was an announcement within an hour and a half we were about to reach the destination, the yellowish dim light of the morning sun was already visible on the horizon.
We'll be until 5.30am Paris time. Because of the difference between east and west of the 13-hour trip it feels trimmed half the time.
"Morning..." Someone said good morning to me. Her small smile made my mood instantly improve this morning.
"For Cheng, brother,..." I slept pretty well this time. Usually I can only sleep for a while and wake up a few times. "It's morning..."
"They'll be distributing breakfast as soon as it seems." I saw my face on the phone screen, my hair a little messy.
"Beautiful girl, though disheveled, remains beautiful." Now I smile and look back at him.
"Sir Cheng, I can't believe you're a Casanova either."
"I'm just saying what it is."
"Thank you for the compliment if so. I'll pay for dinner." He's laughing a little.
"Where can the rules be, I invite." He smiled back.
He's not sweet. This trip was fun because of his presence. We had to split up an hour later.
"All right, thank you, Brother Cheng. We're splitting up here. The 16th is okay, you have a dinner appointment with me."
"Okay, of course."
He had to wait for the next two hours transit to Toulouse, while I went straight to my hotel.
A busy schedule awaits me in Paris, attending some fashion week invitations, picking out some items I should buy for the next season.
Aunt Yu Mei called me later, This Father's Aunt often bought something in Paris.
"Auntie, you want to buy something?"
"Ahh yes Aileen looking for a red Mosaique, you can see there. He ran out yesterday in Hong Kong." Aileen is her son and Mosaique is a casual Hermes bag with a shoulder sling that is popular among young girls.
"Ohh well, let me see if they've got ready stock."
"You just arrived? Where's stay?"
"Yes, this day just arrived, in the usual place InterContinental, LeGrand."
"Yes, if you get it, tell Auntie okay. Will Aunty transfer the price. You want to go to Hong Kong?"
"It doesn't seem to be, but I don't know yet. I'll call Auntie."
"alright. Careful there."
I was busy the next few days. Until the 16th night, I emptied my schedule for dinner with Brother Cheng. He said he'd be in the lobby by 7. We chose dinner at the Hotel restaurant only because she got an akomadasi in Fauchon for only 10 minutes actually.
At six I was back at the hotel to get ready. My phone rang, from Nathan? Why he called me.
"Hello? Nathan what's up?"
"I'm in Paris this weekend, want to have dinner with me." I just stared as he said that.
"You're in Paris?"
"At the same hotel as you." I'm silent now. She's really trying to figure out this matchmaking, how does she know my hotel?
"Where do you know the hotel I'm staying at?"
"Your father told me." I just remembered yesterday Auntie called me asking where my hotel was. This must be Papa's.
"I can't, there's dinner with colleagues tonight."
"I just arrived, still jetlag, actually, what's your room number?"
"Nathan, are you here to catch up with me on purpose? You think I'll tell you? I didn't invite you here at all."
"It's the weekend. That okay? The holiday office, after all I did this to accompany you, accompany my future wife." I took a deep breath now, feeling troubled by this.
"You wasted your time flying to another continent just to meet me?"
"It's Paris, maybe we can get acquainted and have a good conversation here. I showed you my sincerity. I don't think it's a waste anyway, like I said I appreciate you." His words were useless to me.
"You know, I was annoyed with you suddenly appearing here, you know I wasn't excited to reply to your chat, I implied politely rejecting you. You can't see that? Now you suddenly show up here. I'm sorry Nathan, our arranged marriage won't work. You're a waste here."
I'll just tell him everything so he knows his position.
"After all, I knew you'd support my father. In my father and mother's dispute, I was by my mother's side. Where could I be on my father's side."
"I know you won't take your father's side, and actually for whose side we're defending, we can negotiate, where I might not think of your personal opinion."
"Wow, very surprising..." Then can the Chow family turn around in support of my mother? It really is a two-headed snake.
"It's Cherrie's business and cooperation, tied up with family ties. The family can talk about everything well."
"You're talking about your defection like planning a television drama. If my dad knew he'd kick you right away." I grimaced myself.
"Nathan, you're making me dizzy. Stop talking..."
"I'm here tomorrow morning to meet at the hotel breakfast. I'm not gonna bother you tonight. All right, don't tell me your room number. Tomorrow morning okay, breakfast, take it easy I won't interfere with your work."
"I've got a boyfriend, stop expecting me."
"I can't believe it, stop lying to me." He even laughed. "We meet tomorrow morning okay. I'm gonna take a break."
He turned off the phone, pissing me off. Directly calling Mama, all this time I did not understand what really happened in Hong Kong there, now I'm curious.
"Mama, you know what Nathan Chow told me..." I told him everything he said right down to the planned defection.
Mom laughed across the street. "Chow and Chan's family didn't really have any problems all this time. The head of the Chow family who now has high ambitions to overtake the Leung family (Philip Leung red), as the number one person in Hong Kong, so he took many ways to raise the position of his family, so he took many ways to raise the position of his family, and it seems to be supported by his children."
Ohhh so boss Ko Derrick's rival can be said.
"You like it or not."
"No."
"Yes, don't give him a chance."
"He was so annoying that he dared to come here."
"Hmm. provided he does not use physical violence only. Over time he also knew he had no hope."
"Yes I think it can be."
I went downstairs later because Brother Cheng had arrived, he kept his promise to buy me dinner. He looks handsome in his casual suit and dark t-shirt, it's actually confusing why I'd rather see Brother Cheng than see Nathan Chow.
"Sir Cheng, you've been a long time." He was sitting quietly in the hotel lobby.
"No, just now. You look beautiful." Since the hotel restaurant she chose was an official restaurant, I had to wear a semi-formal dress at least.
"Thank you." She's attractive, but somehow I'm reluctant to tease her. I think later since my Mom and Dad separated, and I made up again with Papa Lam, things have changed in my outlook, including love.
I saw how Papa Lam's family seemed to be happy now, Papa Lam, Cece Tata, and his other children, even his wife was kind to me.
Papa's wife who now has an angel heart, she does not distinguish the treatment of my younger brother who is his stepson, even on Cece Tata who is another stepson. Last year I went to Papa Lam's house, they all got together, I felt embraced, it felt like I had a new family.
Maybe it's a mediation fee for Papa Lam who got hurt for my mother's betrayal. I believe being good is not in vain in the end. There must be some good that happened to you in return.
So somehow it affected me to be more restrained in speaking, acting, acting better to anyone.
"Your job is still a lot." Brother Cheng asked sympathetically as we waited for our first menu to come.
"It's been scheduled, not so full, just two days left and then back, which makes full is unplanned interference."
"Unplanned disruption? Whatchu mean?"
"Like Nathan Chow who also came to the line and stayed at the same hotel."
"You serious? She come here? Staying at the same hotel? Now?"
"Yes, now. It seems that all of the Chow family have very big ambitions."
"You're not afraid if he catches us."
"I don't have any relationship with Brother Cheng, do you think I'm interested in being a pawn of my father's family business and the Chow family? If he catches us, it'll be better. Let him know I won't get him." I chuckled while it seemed that from yesterday Brother Cheng would not be involved in my matters. "Calm down, she's jetlagging, tomorrow morning I'm filling her up for breakfast together. You won't get involved..."
"He was so serious about breaking your heart that he was willing to fly 13 hours here."
"She sucks, of course she's willing, it's kind of a business trip while on vacation for her. My mom says the Chow family is now trying to catch up with the Leung family. If he succeeds in controlling our company he will also be considered helping his family business. This is a business visit for him, you think he romantically melts my heart? Romantic for money, that's what happened."
"It's so cruel you taste it." Brother Cheng laughed when he heard me grumble at length.
"It is so true. We don't have to talk about him, I'll tell him to come back to Hong Kong tomorrow."
We changed our conversation later. I know very little that Chow and Leung are two competing families. If I were on Chow's side, I would be Ko Derrick's enemy, my father's family is close to boss Ko Derrick, there would be no reason for me to agree to a match with Nathan Chow .
We talked about all sorts of things about his trip to Toulose, down to the details of what I did here. Chatting with Brother Cheng passing the time felt quick. We didn't feel like we had to split up later.
"Sir Cheng thank you for dinner, next time let me pay for dinner back."
"Yes, we can talk more later. Ohh yeah your guy already ordered me to see the report they directly booked three shooting slots instead. As I promised, the 4th order will have a discount."
"Is that what they take care of."
I drove him through the main lobby later.
"So apparently you have a dinner appointment with Brother Cheng ..." Someone made me look at it now.
Nathan Chow's.
------- Connect tomorrow