Meet up (I)

As promised, Ken sent an invitation card to meet up with Ji Yu. The whole incident about Ken getting into a fight with a man over a girl was swept under a rug and did not make it to headlines. As for Ai Sha, she was informed by her father that the lady Ken was looking for is his biological sister, she need not worry about that lady. Instead she should help Ken win the lady over as it seems that lady is important to him.

At a grand Chinese restaurant, Ji Yu was sitting quietly by the window in a VIP room. Few minutes later a figure enter the room.

"Cousin, it seems you have been well," said Ji Yu.

"You are not bad yourself," Ken replied while he took a seat across Ji Yu.

"I hope the food I ordered would be to your liking," said Ji Yu as he poured Ken a cup of tea.

Ken took a sip of the tea and then he looked up.

"Nice tea. You brew it yourself?" Ken asked surprised.

"The leaves were prepared by Ru Ran, she has a hobby to mix tea leaves. This is green tea with a hint of strawberry and pineapple," explained Ji Yu.

"The fragrance is from the strawberry and the sweetness is from the pineapple. No sugar?" asked Ken.

"You have a keen sense of taste and smell. No sugar," answered Ji Yu.

A knock was heard interrupting their amiable conversation. Two waiters entered the room with large tray of food consisting of hot and sour soup, lemon chicken, steam grouper fish, black pepper stir fried venison, claypot tofu, kailan with salted fish, salted egg yolk butter tiger prawn and kam hiong crabs.

"Truly too much," said Ken.

"You would want more after you start eating," smiled Ji Yu.

This restaurant belongs to Ru Ran, she had quietly made a purchased and has been the one managing the menu and the tea selection from the shadows. Since she took over the business had been blooming. This restaurant has many sweet memories to Ru Ran as her parents used to bring her for meals here but over the years the business had started to decline. This restaurant started off as a tea house gradually it started to offer lunch and dinner. With the history of its main core business is a tea house that Ru Ran had renovated the restaurant to have multiple gardens for patrons to enjoy tea. Patrons can decide to have tea in Japanese theme tea garden or even English tea party with tea and scones. With the beautiful gardens as attractions and delicious tasting teas, more and more people of different generations gather at the restaurant to enjoy tea. Tea brewing classes are being held to those interested to learn the art of tea brewing.

Ken was sceptical at first, but the moment the fish entered his mouth and it melted against his palate, he could not stop himself. The fish was cooked to perfection. He was initially unhappy that Ji Yu wanted to meet at this restaurant because he had always had an impression that this restaurant was over rated and over ambitious. Over ambitious because of its many style. In fact, it caters to all generation, those who preferred a more traditional environment can opt to eat the ancient rooms, the youngster that wants to eat in a more hipster environment and enjoy batista coffee and tea get to hang out at the cafe branch of the restaurant. However, once he tasted the tea and the food, he know understood that the reason this place is always full to the brim is because of the service and the food quality.

The atmosphere was quiet throughout lunch as the two men concentration were on the food. The waiters returned to the room in half an hour only to find, the plates were already empty and shiny.

They cleared the table and served more tea before retreating out.

"The food was surprisingly delicious," said Ken ending the quiet atmosphere.

Ji Yu only smiled satisfied with the compliment.

Silence followed once again.

"Cousin, I am not going to deny my involvement in Uncle's death but I did it because he owes me that much," Ji Yu said.

Ken hearing Ji Yu speaking about his father in such nonchalant tone, spark an immeasurable anger in him. He had lost a father at such young age and had to learn survival at that age made him feel irreconcile.

Before he could get up and give Ji Yu a punch, a file landed in front of his face.

He read the first page with a ghastly appearance and turned the subsequent pages like his hands were on fire.