CHAPTER NINE

Anna chortled as Ji-Hoon cracked a joke. Her beautiful dentition sparked under the light from the bed lamp. She had arrived earlier with some food for breakfast and some books to read to him. Anna fed Ji-Hoon breakfast herself and it felt good. Once again, life made sense to her. And this time, it's way better than she ever hoped for. Not only did she find out that she's now a multi millionaire, her beloved brother is home, and the man she can't stop thinking about is not lost.

As they laughed and cheered, Anna completely forgot that she was still married to Maurice Cheung and therefore still has responsibilities as a wife. It was as if Anna walked from the fires of hell and into the bliss of heaven, with no recollection of the former. Ji-Hoon's legs were no longer suspended nor wrapped up in Plaster of Paris, so they could make body contact as they spent time together.

Ji-Hoon looked into Anna's brown eyes and felt complete. He has never been this happy his entire life. He gently held her right hand. "I didn't know the meaning of happiness until I met you Anna. You have ignited a fire inside of me that I fear will burn for eternity. And like a beautiful song, your name and face are always in my head. Whenever I am around you, I feel alive and unstoppable. When my mother died, I lost myself and my heart. I dressed up mannequins with her clothes and pretended she was there because I couldn't accept that she was gone." 

Ji-Hoon was interrupted by the flow of tears from Anna's eyes. She couldn't ascertain what to feel more passionate about. The fact Ji-Hoon's narration about his mother reminded her of the fact that she never had the chance to meet hers. Or the breathtaking words coming out of his mouth. Ji-Hoon smiled, took a napkin from his bedside and wiped her tears. Then he continued.

"But as I met you, the vacuum her death left in my life is gradually filling up. I have found my heart again and I believe it's safe. You have given me hope. Something that I thought I had lost forever. And for that, I am eternally grateful." Anna stared into Ji-Hoon's green eyes completely lost for words. 

If this was a dream, Anna would kill anyone who wakes her up. Anna felt like she has found an extension of herself which she never knew she had. She felt free as a bird, but would rather be chained beside Ji-Hoon. She rubbed Ji-Hoon's palms.

"I truly bless that evening I had to get away from that miserable house. If I hadn't taken that decision, I wouldn't have met you. While I was there, I contemplated suicide many times. My brother was the only reason why I didn't go through with it. Because it would be selfish of me to do that. I didn't know if I was ever going to see him again, but I didn't loose hope because I knew he would come back home someday. Though then we no longer had a home." Ji-Hoon gazed at her amorously.

"But when I met you, my stars became aligned. I couldn't go a day without seeing you, because it felt like walking unto the gallows. I have never regretted anything in my life as much as I regret marrying Maurice Cheung. And that's because you have shown me that there are decent and loving men still out there who would value their spouses like a gem. I thought they no longer existed. The.." Anna paused. 'Did I just call myself his spouse indirectly?' She asked herself blushing.

Ji-Hoon smiled, looked at Anna in the eyes and said. "I love you Anna". Anna's jaw dropped. She didn't see it coming, but it made her heart sink. 'Finally'. She thought. Anna got close to Ji-Hoon still smiling and kissed him fondly. Ji-Hoon reciprocated by pulling her closer and held her tight in his arms as they kissed. "I love you too Ji-Hoon. I can't exist without you in my life."

Some kilometres away in Luigi Tomasso restaurant, Maurice Cheung waited patiently. Being the most prestigious Italian restaurant in all of Shanghai, Maurice believed it would be the perfect place to impress Yu Yan Xing. After all, it takes weeks, sometimes months just to get a reservation in the restaurant.

Maurice believes that Yu Yan Xing is the perfect spouse for him. Her pedigree would help elevate him to greater heights. A famous and beautiful newscaster, who's uncle is a multi-billionaire, her mother, a distinguished ambassador who has served and represented China in many capacities, and her brother who is married to the daughter of the king of Thailand. In fact, Yu Yan Xing was a personification of all Maurice wants in a woman.

It was almost 9pm when Yu Yan Xing pulled up her BMW X8 in the front of the restaurant. She took a few minutes to powder her face and renew the crimson red lipstick she wore. Her cousin did the matchmaking of Yu Yan and Maurice. She told Yu Yan how incredibly handsome and nice Maurice is, and how he is the heir to a vast business empire. But Yu Yan wasn't interested in the latter. She was more concerned about getting hitched with a man who would love her for who she is and know her worth. So when her cousin started preaching the Maurice Cheung gospel, Yu Yan decided to give it a try. 

Putting on her heels, she stepped down from the vehicle and allowed the valet driver to do his job. As Yu Yan walked into the restaurant, nearly all the visitors recognised her immediately. Some were pointing fingers, some pulled out their phones and started taking pictures, some men waved, while the rest just watched. 

Yu Yan ignored the attention and walked straight to the sixth table on the right of the entrance where Maurice was waiting. He felt proud as all the eyes followed Yu Yan to see which table she would sit on, and with whom. Yu Yan sat down and glanced round the restaurant.

With quite a large space, marble top tables, laminated flooring, a dim lighting that gives the restaurant a romantic setting, and a breathtaking view of the Bund harbor, the restaurant is truly a sight to behold. But the most attractive feature of the restaurant is the moving aquarium. The aquarium is suspended in the ceiling and connected through the walls and the floors, and back to the ceiling. The fish could swim at will down from the aquarium, round the entire restaurant and back into the aquarium.

"Hello Maurice. It's been a while." Maurice smiled like a giddy school boy. "Evening Yu Yan. It's so good to see you again." Yu Yan faked a smile. "It normally takes two months to reserve a table in this restaurant, but when they heard my name, they had no choice but to do it in 24 hours." Maurice said with a grin on his face. Yu Yan looked indifferent like what he just said had no meaning or she didn't hear him. She said absolutely nothing in response.

Picking up the menu, she skimmed through it quickly. A waiter was already waiting to take their order. Though she wasn't hungry, some fancy names on the menu peaked her interest. Baked lasagna, Spaghetti Carbonara, Pesto, Ravioli, Agnolotti del Plin, I Tortellini, Messina Focaccia, Bari Focaccia, Risotto, Polenta, Fiorentina with salad, Fritto Misto, Stoccafiso e Baccalà, and Tiramisu.

She just simply chose a name she was familiar and comfortable with. Maurice placed his order and the waiter left quietly. "So how's work?" Maurice asked casually. " Good. I can't complain." Yu Yan answered apathetically. "You know when I take full control of Unijack Steel and Construction, I will purchase a media house and include it into our portfolio. Maybe then, I will put you and your colleagues out of work in CCTV 1 to become the greatest media house in China." Maurice giggled to himself. "Sorry, am just kidding." He said still giggling.

Yu Yan didn't find his dry joke funny at all. In fact, it infuriated her. But she kept calm and just smiled. "Well, that would be great. I look forward to it." This delighted Maurice and he chortled. "As the heir to a vast business empire, I have what it takes to make that happen. My company is the biggest and the most successful steel and construction company in China. With over 4 billion dollar share capital, we are utterly unrivaled." 

Yu Yan nodded slowly. "That's impressive." "Oh yeah, we secure contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Our stocks soar like a cannabis intoxication." He chuckled arrogantly. Yu Yan forced a smile. She had resolved within herself to give Maurice two hours to impress her before going to prepare for the interview she was anchoring the next day. But from all indications, it looks like she was going to cut it down to 30 minutes. Or as soon as she finished her meal.

The waiter returned with their order and placed them on the table. Yu Yan looked at her food and smiled. It was exactly what she imagined it would be. But she would fully grade it when she tastes it. "Is that what you ordered?" Maurice asked disdainfully. Yu Yan nodded. "But that's a meal for poor and dejected people. A woman of your class can't be seen eating that low class food. Or are you being modest because of the cost? If so , please no need for that. I can buy this restaurant right now if I want."

Yu Yan felt so embarrassed by his insult, but she still kept calm. 'Who knows which paparazzi would be recording or taking our pictures right now.' She thought. Yu Yan didn't understand why Maurice would be upset about her food considering that what he ordered for was salad and something else that looks like green shit. She tried to keep calm.

"Well, my grandmother grew up in Italy and prepared this meal for us all the time when we were little. She blended her Chinese roots with the Italian culture pretty well, and that's why I ordered the dish." Maurice snorted. "Was your grandmother poor?" Yu Yan smiled. "She was a simple and hardworking woman." 

Maurice sighed. "Well my grandmother was an aide to the revered Madam Chiang Kai-Shek during World War II. She suggested many important policies made by the first lady. Though she was a bit older than my grandfather, she was intelligent and classy." 

Yu Yan said nothing. Her delicious meal was obviously more important than anything trash Maurice had to say. But she checked the time. It was almost 10:58, and she needed to prepare for the big interview the next day. She had the two options of finishing her delicious meal while listening to Maurice's crap, or she cuts the meal short and makes a run for it. She chose the former.

By 11:15pm her plate was empty. Yu Yan enjoyed every moment of the meal, except for Maurice's yapping. By 11:21, she's had enough of his narcissistic tendencies which was boring her to death. "I have to leave now Maurice. There is a pile of documents waiting for me in the office that I have to attend to tomorrow. I have to get prepared." Maurice looked confused. "What are you talking about? The night is still young, and I have plans to take you to the Yuyuan botanical gardens."

Yu Yan sighed. "Well I have to take a rain check on that. Maybe we can do that next time." Maurice couldn't ascertain from her tone if it's a promise or a blow-off. His heart was stuck on getting a woman like Yu Yan. Even though he hasn't told her he's married and still to get divorced, there was no stopping him from getting her. "Okay. Why don't I and pick you up from your office tomorrow after work so we can continue from where we left off?" Yu Yan remonstrated by waving her head. 

"I won't have time anytime soon. My producer and editor are suggesting that I go to London next week to anchor a documentary hosted by the network. So I will have very little time for frivolities." Yu Yan answered politely. Maurice looked disappointed. 

He was under the impression that the restaurant and the fancy food would make her want to stay longer. 'After eating all my food, now you want to run away? What a gold digger!' He thought. But Yu Yan's beauty was intoxicating. 

"Okay. When can I hope to see you again?" The question nauseated Yu Yan. She couldn't wait to get the hell out of the restaurant. But she remained civil. "I am sure we can find time within our busy schedules to see each other. You already have my number. You can call me anytime from 5pm. I will probably be out of the studio by then."

"Okay. It's a date then. I can't wait to see you again." Maurice sounded excited. Yu Yan nodded slowly. "Of course Maurice." Maurice chuckled. "The restaurant is quite classy for you not to come back right?" He asked disdainfully. If Yu Yan had to listen to anymore of his bragging, she would commit murder, so she just shrugged and left the restaurant quietly.

Maurice smiled as Yu Yan left the restaurant. He believes he has the perfect wooing strategy to get her. After all, he has gotten many women with the same strategy, including his wife. At that moment, he wished his wife would vanish into thin air to make room for Yu Yan Xing.