Calling friends

Jiao Long looked at his cousin. She was a tested genius. She finished school when she was twelve years old, then got a double degree in chemistry and biology. She got fascinated with medicine when she ran away from home, but by the time she finished residency, she lost interest in being a doctor. She had finished residency in the US, but chose to take after her father, and go into creating cosmetics. Sometimes Jian Long wondered what goes on in her mind. She was impulsive, opinionated, stubborn, kindhearted and loyal. All together she was a dangerous combination, for herself.

" What do you mean? He has blood cancer doesn't he?" He asked.

" No." She dropped the bomb, but did not deem it necessary to explain.

" Get me my pink cellphone." She ordered him insane.

He knew better than to question her when she was in one of her moods, plus he was still a little shook about the supposed wrong diagnosis. He got up and went to the side table by the front door of her room, and took out her pink flip phone from her messenger bag. He has always wondered why his cousin carried two cellphones though she rarely used the the pink one, but guessed he was going to see it in action. He handed it to her, and without shame waited to eavesdrop on her conversations.

She flipped the phone open and pulled out a small antenna he hadn't noticed before. He realised with a start that it was a satellite phone. The model was something he hadn't seen before. From the outside it looked like an old flip phone. He looked at his cousin and realised even though he has been following her life for the last seven years, he did not fully know her.

" Tara. I need your help. Can you come to my home?" She asked someone on the line.

Whatever the person on the line made her laugh.

" Done. When will you be here?" She asked.

" Okay. I will have everything ready for you by then. I'll send you my grandfather's reports. If anyone can figure out what is happening it would be you." She said after a little pause.

She disconnected the call and looked dejected.

" A friend of mine will be coming over in three days. Her name is Nakshatra Rivers. I will visit Huo Cosmetics today. I need to make sure the lab is up to par. And I have to look for a good apartment for her. She hates living with others or in a hotel. Send me the number of a good real estate agent. Someone who will be able to find me an apartment fulfilling all the requirements within a day, and to help me furnish it in another. Oh and… please wear a couple ring or something to let others know that you are taken. It's for your own good."

" Don't worry about the apartment, I know just the person." he replied, not bothering to address the comment about the rings.

Jiao Long took out his phone from his pant pocket and looked through his contacts. He settled on a number and slid his finger on the screen to call him.

" Hey Deng. I need a favour. I will send you a list of conditions, find me a place to rent or buy by tonight." He ordered in a voice that said he was talking to someone he was very close to.

Ying Yue looked at Jian Long with a sharp look. She could guess It was Jonah Deng that he was talking to. She did not want to get that idiot's help. She had a hard time in school because she had skipped a lot of grades, but it was worse for her because she had to be the delivery girl for Jian Long and his friends. Out of the five close friends, Jonah Deng was the most popular, and the worst. He was a playboy who flirted with everyone. Boys and girls. She had to wipe tears for a lot of people because he couldn't control his impulses. And in the end, he even had the nerve to break the heart of one person who had taken pains to be nice to her. But she also knew he was the right guy for the job. He owned a lot of residential buildings in the city, and knows about everything about the buildings that are not his.

" I'll buy you drinks tomorrow." He paused a second before sending Ying Yue a look. " Sure I'll bring her as well." He agreed.

Ying Yue let out a sigh, knowing that the fact that she was home was not a secret anymore. She had to meet the gang now that she was back for good. She just didn't plan on seeing them this soon.