Gracious Helper (II)

Bai stared at her in surprise. His eyes widened. Lai held her gaze with his, adamant about not letting go of his arm.

She was determined to try and persuade Hyejin - that she would get the contract signed one way or another, willingly of course.

"Mr. Ying," she quickly let go of his arm and whispered, "L-let me talk to her."

Bai tilted his head and leaned his head forward. His face was inches from hers. She could feel the heat almost radiating off of his body.

"And you think you could convince her?" he whispered back.

She slowly nodded.

"I can at least try," she whispered back, "Maybe she has her reasons why she won't sign and will tell me."

She placed her hand on her chest.

"Give me a chance to persuade her."

Bai titled his head and sighed. She looked very determined so he leaned back and nodded.

"Fine," he shrugged, "Meet me in the cafeteria when you're done. I'll be waiting there."

He handed her the envelope with the contract.

"I w-will escort Mr Ying," the CEO abruptly stood up and rushed to stand next to Bai, "I'll give you two ladies time to talk."

Bai and the CEO left the office, leaving Lai and Hyejin alone in the room. It was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

She sighed and looked at Hyejin. The woman pressed her lips together, watching as Lai walked toward her.

"Let me introduce myself," Lai said, stretching out her hand, "My name is Xiulan Lai. I'm Mr. Ying's PA."

Hyejin slowly stood up and stretched out her hand, placing it against Lai's.

"I'm Xun Hyejin," the woman told her as they shook hands, "It's nice to meet you, Miss Xiulan."

"Likewise," Lai smiled.

She sat next to Hyejin, unsure how to start their conversation after their introduction. She didn't want to sound impudent or nosy.

"You want to know why I won't sign, right?" Hyejin enquired after a few minutes, placing her hands on her thighs and clenching her fists.

Lai stared at her. The woman looked distressed.

"If you're okay with telling me," Lai spoke softly, "Whatever the reason is, I'm willing to listen to you. I won't judge."

Hyejin was silent for a few more minutes while Lai just stared at her, patiently waiting. The woman let out a sigh, turning her body to face Lai.

"T-the truth..." Hyejin hesitated, biting her lip as she stared at the floor.

Lai smiled at her, placing her left hand on top of Hyejin's clenched fist - as if to reassure her that it was okay, to be honest.

She would listen to her story no matter what. The woman stared at Lai who gave her a 'Go on, I'm all ears,' nod.

"It's my parents," the woman began to explain, slumping her shoulders, "I have a sick younger sister back in Englines. She's twelve and is the sweetest child ever. Our family found out that she had cancer at the age of ten..."

Hyejin paused, letting out a soft sigh.

"It's okay," Lai cooed, giving her a warm smile, "Take your time."

Hyejin remained silent for a minute. Meanwhile, Bai and the CEO were at the cafeteria. A cup of tea was on the table in front of Bai. He pulled out his cellphone and scrolled through it.

The CEO began tapping his fingers on the table, unable to sit still as he was overly agitated - not to mention, extremely anxious.

"Would you quit it!" Bai exclaimed after a few minutes, lowering his eyebrows at him.

He was irritated not just by the sound of the fingers tapping on the table, but also by the situation with Hyejin.

And the CEO knew it.

"Sorry," the CEO quickly apologized, "Actually, I didn't want to call you and cancel our meeting because I've been trying to convince Hyejin to sign the contract."

Bai looked up from the cup of tea he had brought to his parted soft lips.

"Is that so?" he asked, taking a sip of the warm tea, loving how hot it felt in his mouth.

"Yes," the CEO nodded vigorously, "In fact, she wants to quit the entertainment industry as a whole and won't tell me why. I can't help her if she can't explain what's going on."

Bai placed the cup of tea on the table and leaned back.

"Well," he crossed his arms, "I guess we'll find out the reason soon - it's all up to my PA now."

Bai then leaned forward, staring directly at the CEO.

"You better pray that all goes well," he told the CEO in a warning tone, causing the CEO to flinch.

Lai nodded in understanding.

"So you want to quit because your father has been stealing some money from the money you've been sending for your sister's cancer treatment," Lai slowly spoke, gathering the details of Hyejin's case, "and it's been taking a toll on you? Since you're too busy, it's hard to monitor what happens to your sister, leaving your father in charge of her?"

Hyejin nodded and crinkled her nose in disgust.

"What's worse," the woman continued, "is that my mother is nowhere to be found and happens to only speak to me - via text - when she needs money. My parents are taking advantage of my sister's ill health and me to the point where I feel exhausted."

Hyejin let out a soft cry.

"T-they have no idea how much I'm working hard," she began to hit her chest with her clenched fist, "Not just for myself, but for my sister and them! How much I'm constantly struggling to be a public figure, always smiling no matter what hardships I'm facing. I can never look sad or depressed or show that I'm struggling. My parents know that! They know that and yet...and yet..."

Tears began to escape her blue-colored eyes. Lai shifted closer to her and started patting her back in a calming manner.

"Yet they take advantage of us - their kids," Hyejin choked, "I... I'm exhausted. I just want to quit everything. I just want to not have my parents in my life and solely focus on saving my sister. I want us children to be happy."

Lai told Hyejin that she knew how she felt - after all, she had a father that put her as collateral for a large debt.

She told Hyejin that she shouldn't let her dream of becoming a great model and actress go down the drain because of her parents.

"You've worked too hard to let go of your dream, don't you think?" she asked Hyejin, who trembled with every sob she let out.

Lai hugged Hyejin, rubbing circles on her back and gently patting her.

"It will be okay," she told the woman, "Sometimes, we face a challenge that may seem unbearable and unbeatable. But it actually is bearable and beatable. Plus, when we beat it, our heart and soul become stronger. I suggest you find a different way to pay for your sister's medical fees."

Hyejin nodded as she continued crying.

"I know why you can't pay directly. You don't want anyone to find out that she's your sister since she will end up getting publicity, which won't be too good for her health," Lai nodded in understanding as she spoke.

Hyejin nodded in agreement.

"How about making an anonymous payment?" Lai suggested.

"A-anonymous payment?" Hyejin tilted her head.

"Yeah. It can be like someone is always sending an anonymous donation for your sister's treatment," Lai smiled, "It won't be disclosed to anyone so you don't have to worry about your dad or anyone finding out. You also won't have to send him money anymore. As for how to deal with your parents..."

She then proceeded to give Hyejin suggestions. About thirty minutes later, Lai phoned Bai and met him in the cafeteria.

"As promised," she said, handing Bai the envelope, "A signed contract."

The CEO's eyes widened and he let out a barely audible relieved sigh.

'I'm going to live,' he told himself, 'Mr. Ying won't kill me thanks to his angel of a PA. She saved my life and she doesn't know it.'

Bai opened the envelope and pulled out the contract, flipping through the pages. He let out a "Hmmm" and smiled.

"Not bad," he told her, and she nodded.

She was lost in thought when they left the building and sat in the car. It had started raining, so her eyes locked on the raindrops that hit the side of her window.

She watched the rain drops race against each other as they trailed down the window.

"You okay?" Bai asked upon seeing her dazed face.

Lai slowly turned her head, blinking several times as she stared at Bai, who looked worried.

"I was..." she creases her brows, clenching and placing her fists on her thighs.

"I was reminded of how we can't choose our parents before we're born. Sometimes I think that's really unfair..."