Pressure of strings

"Lament of bearings," - From me to you.

"This was our first meeting with the director, and he was late!" Mr. Zue is the CEO of another large corporation called Zue Company.

"As I said before, Mr. Zue, young lads can't be in such an important position if they can't even come to the important meeting earlier." Mr. Shin, soon-to-be CEO of the not-so-big, not-so-famous Shin Corporation.

"Mr. Shin is correct; young people these days don't value time," Mr. Zue lamented. The other old men agreed by nodding in agreement to what the old man said.

"Aiyaah, don't tell me that after waiting for hours, he won't actually show up," Mr. Shin grumbled. The other people in the room, however, heard him.

"Damn this young brat! We old men can't stand sitting here for hours!" Mr. Han, a Korean-Chinese CEO, investor, and owner of the Han Corporation, is another old man in his 80s.

"My ass is already numb from sitting here," Mr. Gu, another elderly man in his 70s, complained, the only bald man among the ten people inside the room, including Secretary Wen. His head was so gleaming that you could use it as a mirror.

"Hey, Secretary Wen! Could you please just call Director Bao again?" Mr. Han.

"He said he was on his way now, Sir," Secretary Wen began, but was cut off by Mr. Han, who slammed the table with both hands and stood up angrily.

"What nonsense!" exclaimed Mr. Han.

"You've been saying the same thing for like a hundred times now! You expect me to stay here for another hundred hours and waste my time? Where the hell are your manners?" Mr. Han yelled at Secretary Wen. His face was flushed with rage.

Secretary Wen lied, and that is the truth. He couldn't reach his boss because he had dialed his number several times earlier. He was unable to contact him after their earlier phone conversation. And now he was curious about what had happened to his boss.

Mr. Zue, another elderly man, stood up in response to what Mr. Han had said.

"If you can't think of any more excuses, just tell us he's not coming; if so, please excuse us; we won't just sit here and wait for that bastard like dogs waiting for their owner!" Mr. Zue almost screamed at the last sentence.

Did he just insult himself and those around him? Secretary Wen enquired in his mind.

Following Mr. Zue's statement, another elderly man stood up. Mr. Zue and Mr. Han, who remained standing, both looked at the person who had just stood up. Mr. Gu, the bald man, was there.

"Mr. Zue was correct; we are not his dogs, and he is not our owner, "Mr. Gu stated this.

'What the hell?' He actually agreed to that? They're referring to themselves as dogs? 'Secretary Wen asked again in his head, almost laughing.

When Mr. Gu turned to face the other investors, he said something that shocked Secretary Wen.

"Everyone! It appears that our dear Mr. Bao doesn't give a damn if he loses us, his investors; does he even care if we withdraw our investments and shares from his company? Perhaps not, right?" Mr. Gu asked. The other members nodded, as if they agreed with what he said. Mr. Gu returned his gaze to Secretary Wen.

"So, Secretary Wen, we'll be leaving now," Mr. Gu continued.

"Because we need to attend another meeting and take care of some company business," Mr. Gu explained. The other members began to stand one by one, ready to leave. Secretary Wen became frightened and attempted to stop them.

"No, sir! Please don't leave! I'm sure Mr. Bao was on his way here! So please wait a little longer, Sirs!" Secretary Wen pleaded, but not so desperately.

"Then move your ass and call him right now!" Mr. Shin yelled impatiently. The other members, irritated and angry, slumped back in their seats, while the others remained standing and impatiently waiting.

"I will, Sir; please excuse me for a moment," replied Secretary Wen, who was standing near the glass door and slightly bowed his head. He sighed as he turned around to face the door.

He, too, had been awkwardly standing there for an hour, and his feet were already hurting. He was also nervous, but he maintained a calm demeanor. If his boss doesn't show up for this important meeting, he's not sure he'll be able to handle those old men, who are a pain in the ass. He waited with his phone near his ear after searching for his boss's phone number again.

"He should have told us sooner if he was going to be late or not show up, rather than making us look foolish and wasting our tim—" Mr. Shin began, but was cut off by a sudden creaking of the door.

"Well, I'm sorry if I wasted your time, gentlemen," Hei Bao said as he appeared, his left hand in his pocket. He walked through the very front and center seat, his very own seat, kicking the door open. Then he placed the bento box on the table in front of him. The old men who had been chatting and talking before fell silent. Their breathing sounds were barely audible.

When Hei Bao kicked the door open, Secretary Wen, who was standing nearby, was startled. Fortunately, Cheung Qi, who was following behind Hei Bao, stretched his hand to prevent the door from smashing Secretary Wen's entire body into the wall.

"Oh my God! That f*cking scared me!" screamed Secretary Wen in a whisper only Cheung Qi and he could hear. Secretary Wen raised his eyes to Cheung Qi.

"Thank you, Sir," Secretary Wen said, bowing slightly.

Cheung Qi responded by nodding his head and entering Secretary Wen's office after closing the door again.

Mr. Shin explained with an awkward smile, "It's nothing like that, Mr. Bao; I was just joking earlier."

"Oh. Is that so? Hmmh. Then ok, if you say so," Hei Bao said flatly.

Mr. Shin exhaled a sigh of relief and returned to his seat.

'They used to yell and scream like wild animals, but now they look like scaredy cats.' Tsk. Nothing can really beat Mr. Bao,' Secretary Wen thought to himself.

"May I inquire as to what has been keeping Mr. Bao so busy these past few days?" An old man's voice echoed in a silent room. Hei Bao scanned the crowd before focusing his attention on Mr. Han.

"Why would Mr. Han want to know that?" Hei Bao asks bluntly and with a smile.

"Just because we can't always reach you, you might as well explain why Mr. Bao was late to this important meeting," Mr. Han responded without hesitation. The other members were taken aback and surprised when they saw Mr. Han.

Mr. Han was the group's newest member, and he had no idea how Hei Bao's temperament worked. He was also known as a straightforward individual who feared nothing. Hei Bao gave him a look. His phony smile faded, and his face became solemn.

"I don't think you're in a position to ask me that," Hei Bao replied, looking straight into Mr. Han's eyes, which trembled in a split second.

Mr. Han fell silent and awkwardly focused his gaze on Hei Bao.

"But I think we all deserve to know that, Mr. Bao, because we're all busy people, including you, Mr. Bao," Mr. Zue said abruptly. He was pushing the subject even further, which irritated Hei Bao even more.

Hei Bao then passed through his eyes and landed in front of Mr. Han on the seat. Hei Bao was on the verge of losing control because he was so annoyed and irritated. He drooped his brow. His face was hidden from view. He then snickered quietly, scaring the living daylights out of everyone in the room.

Hei Bao's eyes were ablaze with flames. He's not sure why he became enraged over a simple question when he could just shrug it off.

"Explanation? Deserve? Hah! Don't make me laugh!" Hei Bao said, his head bowed low. His deep voice had a cold and dark tone to it. The atmosphere in the room shifts, and Hei Bao's dark aura dominates them, forcing them to remain silent.

"Mr. Bao is a wise man, as we all know, but at the very least, Mr. Bao, give us a proper explanation," Mr. Zue asks.

"Everyone here is a businessman. "And we're all busy," Mr. Zue added, echoing Mr. Han's earlier remark.

Secretary Wen and Cheung Qi stood in the corner of the room near the door, still standing and maintaining their proper posture, silently listening to the conversations.

Mr. Zue coughs twice and continues blabbering as he notices Hei Bao remaining silent in his seat. Secretary Wen and Cheung Qi notice Hei Bao becoming increasingly irritated. Cheung Qi recalled what Hei Bao had said earlier in the car, as well as the scene outside the conference room. He can't help but feel nervous and anxious.

'You can't possibly be thinking about making more enemies, can you?'

' Cheung Qi pondered in his mind.

'This has nothing to do with the meeting.' Why the hell are they bringing it up? ' Secretary Wen pondered.

"That's not your concern, Mr. Zue," Hei Bao said quietly, his head still hung low.

"But you actually wasted our time here—" Mr. Zue was interrupted when a loud pang from the table echoed throughout the room, and Hei Bao stood up.

"THAT'S NOT EVEN PART OF OUR BUSINESS HERE. DID YOU ALL COME HERE TO ASK ME QUESTIONS ABOUT MY LIFE? FUCKIN' MAKE ME LAUGH. SHUT THE FUCK UP AND JUST START THE FUCKIN' MEETING," Hei Bao said coldly but not so calmly. He then looked at the old men one by one before returning to his seat, expressionless. He leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and turned it sideways.

His chair faced the large glass window, but his head was turned to the front. His chin was perched atop his clenched fist, and his other hand was perched atop his thigh.

A sweet aroma suddenly entered his nose and awoke his senses. His clenched fist on his thigh relaxed. His attention was drawn to the bento box he was carrying earlier.

'Does it smell like sweets inside?'

'

'Has to be...' no,'

'Is it the cloth that wraps the bento?'

'Perhaps... no'

'then….. 'It must be...'

"That person"

"Hmm?" Hei Bao's thoughts were awakened when he heard from Secretary Wen.

When he raised his head, he noticed that everyone was staring at him. Some appeared irritated, while others appeared confused and irritated.

"Do you have a problem, Mr. Bao?" Secretary Wen inquired.

"Perhaps Mr. Bao was thinking about something else during the meeting, huh?" Mr. Han was irritated.

"Mr. Bao?" Secretary Wen asked again.

"Nothing, please continue," Hei Bao said sternly, putting a period in front of any further questions. The other elderly men shook their heads in displeasure. They began the meeting later than expected, and they have now been interrupted. They shifted their gaze to the front and resumed their listening. Nothing could get in their way this time.

Secretary Wen then continued to speak as if he were a professional, while Hei Bao's thoughts were still on that person's sweet smile and cute face.

The meeting came to an end after a long period of sitting. Secretary Wen and Cheung Qi escorted the gentlemen to their vehicles outside the building, leaving Hei Bao alone in the room. With no worries in the world,

To be continued.