I Don’t Like to Be Kept Waiting VIII

Suddenly, the office became silent. Tang Shi sat dazed, in his chair, for a short while, before he shut down his laptop and picked up his overcoat and car keys. He then left the office.

It was nine-thirty by the time Tang Shi arrived at the Red Garden Resort Village. As his car rolled up and came to a complete stop, the resort manager hurried forward, greeting him politely. "Young Master Shi, I'm happy to see that you're here."

Tang Shi nodded slightly and, raising his head, looked into the distance, sweeping his eyes over the hotel guest rooms that had been positioned at increasing altitudes. He then asked, "Is she here?"

Opening the door to the tour buggy for Tang Shi, the resort manager replied, "Miss Gu arrived more than an hour ago."

Tang Shi was silent as he leaned against the seat in the buggy with his eyes shut.

It was already nine-fifty by the time the buggy made its way from the entrance of the resort village to the Presidential Suite located halfway up the mountain.

The manager was about to use his access card to unlock the door to the suite for Tang Shi when the latter waved his hand. Taking the hint, the manager handed over the access card to Tang Shi and left quietly.

Tang Shi held up his wrist and checked the time. It was nine fifty-one, nine more minutes before he was due to meet with Gu Qingcheng.

The entrance to the Presidential Suite had been adorned with a huge arrangement of beautiful, fresh sweet-smelling flowers. Leaning against the wall, Tang Shi counted silently to 900, after which he checked his watch again. Less than one minute to go.

It was then that Tang Shi straightened up. Facing the front door, he took out the access card and turned it over a couple of times in his palm. Slowly, he reached out and tapped it against the lock and heard the sound of the door being opened.

...

By ten o'clock, the resort village was already dead quiet. It wasn't like in the city where, even at midnight, one could still hear brakes screeching and horns honking as people continued to travel back and forth.

To calm her nerves, Gu Qingcheng had turned on the TV, where a movie, "Flirting Scholar" starring Stephen Chow, was on. However, Stephen Chow's signature slapstick comedy antics and dialogue had failed to make Gu Qingcheng laugh. In fact, they had just made her feel even more nervous.

Raising her head again to look at the wall clock, she noted that it was almost ten o'clock. Just as Gu Qingcheng was about to take a deep breath to try and slow down her racing heartbeat, she heard the door being opened. The deep breath that Gu Qingcheng had just inhaled became literally stuck in her throat as she quickly jumped up to attention.

She saw Tang Shi pushing open the door and entering the suite.

This man, who had always been able to effortlessly epitomize a unique charisma that not only made other men envious, but women as well, had been known to be unable to resist complaining that Heaven was being unfair.

Tang Shi glanced first at Gu Qingcheng and, pushing the door shut behind him, strode purposefully toward the sofa.

On TV, Stephen Chow was acting out his signature comedic stunts.

Gu Qingcheng, however, was so nervous that she felt weak in the knees. Struggling to calm herself down, she waited until Tang Shi was facing her before swallowing determinedly and saying, "Young Master Shi."

"Yesterday it had been Mr. Tang, and today it's Young Master Shi?"

Tang Shi softly grunted and sat down on the sofa.

Unsure of what that grunt of his had meant, Gu Qingcheng became even more jumpy as she stood, not even daring to breathe normally.

The room was completely silent except for the comedic sounds made by Stephen Chow on TV.

Feeling suffocated by the deafening silence between them, Gu Qingcheng stole a glance at Tang Shi.

The man remained expressionless, his face devoid of any signs of happiness or anger.