Dining With The Devil

It was one thing to empathize with someone, it was another thing to stay with them. Chan Lee was sitting in front of Liu Guiren, the only possible position she could be at without any strange implication. It was already weird that she was dining with him. She shovelled some rice into her mouth, trying to find some peace in their silence. Swallowing, she looked at the guy eating as well. "This must not be what you had in mind when eating with someone else, do you?"Their silence was enough to unnerve her.His eyes peered at hers, his lips quirked slightly. "You'd be surprised if I tell you that this is more than enough."What kind of family did he live with? She sighed inwardly but nodded, "Well, whatever pleases you." Why did she even bother trying to understand him?"You're not serving me right now—there's no need to fuss over my state of being." He waved her off.She raised a brow, swallowing a bit. "I have to at least make sure that the one who's paying for the meal is happy though." That was right, she was only taking advantage of his generosity so this was the least she could do.Liu Guiren chuckled but assented. "I suppose that makes sense, but please, enjoy your meal; you only have an hour for a lunch break."He was right and so she did her best to enjoy her food while she had some time left. Especially when the man in front of her had ordered almost everything from the menu—what a wasteful man! They were all good dishes too! Yet the man in front of her was simply nibbling on them like some sort of squirrel. It only made her look like a glutton, although she didn't have the time nor place to fuss over it.She hoped that after this lunch, the man would finally go away. He had been staying here for who knows how long? Soon enough it came to an end, Liu Guiren placed his chopsticks on its rest right after she did so. With a quick motion of a hand, a waiter arrived to clean up the table. Chan Lee blinked, what? There were still leftovers! "Thank you for the time, Miss Chan Lee. I have some matters to attend to, but perhaps I'll be able to drop by for afternoon tea." He stood up. "It's a bit of a pity that the one I talk to prefers coffee over tea, but it can't be helped."With a quick flurry of a bow, the man strolled out before she could say another word. Did he really leave so fast before she could make a remark on how long he had stayed? He had stayed for at least five hours!"You better close your mouth unless you want to collect flies in it." The waiter told him before he left, along with all the remaining food.Chan Lee could only stretch a hand out, "We could have gotten a doggie bag…" She sighed and closed her palm.Along the line of time, she had somehow managed to turn her world upside down.Encounters with a moon rabbit that came down from a shooting star, a martial artist that pestered her to no end and now a rich school council president who seemed to have taken his 'duty' outside of their university's jurisdiction.She massaged a hand on her forehead and slumped back to a seat. Now with him gone, she could take a minute to close her eyes and breathe. "I'm at my wits end…""And on your first day too?" A familiar voice asked.Her eyes opened as she looked at the woman who had stepped in. "Elder sister, I uh, was just resting for a bit. I'm okay."On her first day at work and she was already caught slacking off! This was the worst kind of humiliation."Well you can take a break for a moment, you did handle one of our fastidious clients." Bo Lifen chuckled as she stood where she was. "And for several hours at that—that's already a feat in itself."Had they been really that bad to garner a comment like that? Chan Lee had just finished those terribly long hours but found a protest already in her lips. "I don't think he's that tedious to deal with.""Ah, he must have been kind to you; though, that's another thing to be wary of." Bo Lifen cleared her throat. "I hope you haven't fallen for his charms, I've had that issue with some of the servers here. A reason why I tend to be the one who attends to him."Chan Lee raised a brow. "Huh, really? Maybe it's because he's rich." She shrugged.  "Although, you don't have to worry about me, Elder Sister—I'm not someone who'll fall in love because somebody was nice to me.""Do forgive me for making such a comment, I may have offended you." Bo Lifen coughed slightly.An awkward tension hung in the air.She shook her head and managed a smile. "Not at all. I've already learned my lesson; um, is there anything else I can do?""Well, things are quite mellow today. Perhaps you could help me with taking inventory of our tea and other non urgent tasks. Follow me." The tense moment dissipated in a second as Bo Lifen turned their conversation to work......In a quintessential Parisian cafe, someone sat on comfortable upholstery. They were looking out the frosted panes.The street outside was lined with green abor vitae, cafe-trees, whereas only a few cars drove past the street. Each one more luxurious than the other—they paid no heed to it.Instead, only the tick tock of the hand was all they paid attention to. Everything else was a momentary and fleeting distraction. Until a soft whoosh was heard and she turned to see an elegant man took their seat in front of them."You were nearly a minute late." They closed their pocket watch and stared at the man.The young man's lips curled into a capricious grin, a smirk nearly. "And you seem to be missing someone, the Shen is incomplete without them." Their long dark hair was a violet hue underneath the cafe's illumination."My brother had matters to attend to, Liu Guiren. I apologize on behalf of him.""No need to apologize." He waved her apologies off. "Shall we start the meeting immediately?""You seem to be in a rush, perchance you are after a new target?""Let a man keep their secrets."