CHAPTER 12: “THE JADE REMEMBERS”

Tang Lin walked out of the walk-in closet in her room after changing into her pyjamas.

She walked out of the room to the dining table and sat down to eat the dinner that Zhou Qing arranged to be delivered to her apartment before they had left for the auction house.

She couldn't help but let her mind run back to the events that happened earlier in the day.

Especially the text from Master Wen.

She couldn't help but wonder what she meant by "the jade remembers".

The moment she had left the Fung and Chen house, she immediately wanted to head in the direction of Master Wen's place.

Unfortunately, right at that moment, she had gotten her text.

"I'll be out of town for a few days. I know you have questions. I will explain as much as I can when I return."

Great! What perfect timing.

She had turned in the opposite direction and headed home.

Then her mind wandered to her meeting and subsequent agreement with Zhao Jun.

He was Zhao Jun, heir to the Zhao corporate empire of the Zhao family, one of those mysterious families in the capital city that were rumored to be one of the powers behind half of Beijing's development projects.

In the space of a few weeks since coming out of seclusion, the gossip columns had fallen in love with him for his looks and bachelor status.

He was easily one of the most handsome men in the country. Whichever way one looked, he seemed to be built to be superior.

Not to mention that he was yet to have a Mrs. Zhao, since making his first public appearance he quickly became the gossip publishing houses' darling.

There was also a piece of news or the other about him, his family fortune and single status.

Fortunately, they were careful not to do anything serious or cross any lines.

These magazine publications made him quite popular among the heiresses of well-to-do corporations, socialites and corporate girls alike.

Business rivals both revered and feared him for his ruthless intelligence and execution.

He had incredible foresight that ensured that he was always ahead of everyone else.

As for the law enforcement, they watched him like a hawk for his family's alleged connections to organized crime.

But none of these were what made her freeze in place.

It was the fact that that face of his that exuded unfathomable coldness and detachment had been a prominent feature in one of her dreams some months ago.

As she continued to swing between being Tang Lin and Tang Mei, she could feel the balance of both their existences shifting.

It was during one of those nights when she had a fitful sleep and tumultuous dreams that she saw his face.

It was a face that she had never seen before, but it was so striking that she remembered it.

She found it startling how just a glimpse of his face had stayed with her even months after.

Tang Mei found herself being more curious about the fact that his appearance had brought such calm and quiet that her mind and body immediately entered a state of rest that allowed her sleep much more peacefully than she had in a long time.

She had spent days after days thinking about his face and where she could have seen him, or why his appearance managed to bring her the succour she desperately needed to no avail.

Months later, during her visit to Beijing for the annual antique appraisal conference, she finally found him.

Not in person. Out on a stroll with her teacher to explore the city a little before returning to Shanghai, she had seen his image on one of the huge, electrically powered billboards in the city square.

Her teacher, seeing her curious stare, took it upon himself to explain who he was to her.

"He is the heir of the Zhao family being the only surviving grandchild of the main branch.

He has been raised and groomed in seclusion for the past twenty plus years to be the next generation's leader of the Zhao clan."

Tang Lin tried to imagine what it was like being raised like that and could not help but shake her head.

"Wasn't he lonely?" She murmured rather innocently.

Teacher Gu chuckled lightly and said "to those people, that is not what's important. The maintenance of their clan's position and growth of the influence if possible is what is."

"Besides, he has started making public appearances recently and never goes to a place if it has not been scouted and secured a few days prior.

In fact, because of how important he is to the prosperity of the Zhao family, he is always in the company of a large number of bodyguards. It is best to stay away from this kind of person to avoid trouble."

Tang Lin was stunned to learn of how hefty of a background this strange character who appeared in her dream had and felt sore about it for days.

Why did he have to come from such a prestigious family?

How was she to approach him and try to keep in contact with him while she subtly tried to figure out what his appearance in her dream meant?

She would probably be dead a thousand times over before even getting within ten miles close to him.

She initially thought that if she ever met him, given the opportunity, she would make contact with him while trying to see if she could make any breakthrough from him regarding her condition.

Alas, it's not meant to be.

Something else intrigued her even more.

When did he come to T City?

Was it just for her, or was there something taking place in T City that she wasn't privy to?

As she went to bed that night, she couldn't help but toss and turn in her attempt to find answers.

But as it turned out, it was bound to be a fruitless venture for her… so when the warm arms of sleep finally enveloped her, it was more because of exhaustion and frustration than her need for it.