The Loveliest Night || Zhong Chenle

3

I tapped the edge of my foot against the leg of the coffee table. Since no one else was home, I thought it would be best to take my video meeting call in the living room. Well it was less of a video meeting and more of me watching the physical meeting through my laptop screen.

"And y/n, will you be able to have the launch event details sent to Hui Ying by this friday?"

"Yes Sir." I assured our CEO.

"Great, I'm counting on you Hui Ying."

"Y-Yes sir," She nervously stuttered.

"Well I think that wraps up our meeting, any questions?" He looked around the silent room, "Very well, you're all dismissed."

I was about to leave the call when he appeared in front of my screen back at his desk.

"Could you spare a few extra minutes?" He asked me.

I smiled and nodded my head, "Anything for you Mr. Zhao."

He sighed and waved his hand dismissively, "I already told you, you can call me uncle outside of meeting's and work."

I giggled lightly, "Technically you are still at work Mr. Zhao."

He chuckled, leaning back into his chair, "I suppose you're right. Well never mind that, I wanted to check in and see how you're doing."

"Please Mr. Zhao, there's no need for you to worry about me."

"You know if there's anything I can do, anything at all please let me know. If the launch event is too difficult for you to do at this time, I can pass on the work to-"

"No, of course not," I shook my head, "I am more than capable of doing my work without the need of any special treatment. Besides, Hui Ying is doing an amazing job picking up where I left off. I'm afraid you might consider replacing me with her."

He chuckled again, letting out a small sigh this time.

"You are a very strong girl I hope you know that. A few years ago when your father told me that he was quitting to go back to Korea and care for his daughter, I was afraid that I would be losing one of my best employee's. When I found out that you had chosen to return to Beijing with him so he wouldn't loose his job I thought to myself, 'she must be such a selfless nice young girl, I wish my son were like her'."

He tapped his fingers on his desk, reminiscing as I let out a small laugh.

"Thankfully my wishes were answered when you two finally met and you were able to knock some sense into that boy," He chuckled, "In a literal sense too."

"Please, it wasn't like that at all."

My cheeks blushed with embarrassment, thinking back to the summer picnic Mr. Zhao held for his employees and their families every year.

[ F L A S H B A C K ]

It was the first summer after I graduated high school. My Mandarin still wasn't at a conversational level, though I had greatly improved on pen and paper. I was walking around the snack table stuffing my mouth with anything that looked like chocolate when I saw a boy sneaking some sort of powder into the bowl of fresh strawberry lemonade. I didn't know what he was pouring in but I knew he was up to no good. Not knowing who to tell or how to tell them, I walked up to the boy, slapped the side of his head and snatched the plastic bottle away from him. When the boy tried to stand up, he accidentally tipped over the bowl on top of him causing everyone's attention to be drawn to the boy drenched in the sticky liquid.

I was too busy laughing at him to realize Mr. Zhao had angrily walked up to the boy.

"Bàba, this idiot girl purposely spilled the lemonade on me, I want her parents fired!" He snobbishly whined.