Chapter 3- Date with Dao Ming Si

Shan Cai stirred her tropical drink with her straw and looked up at Dao Ming Si, who despite his attempts, was grinning like an idiot. Seeing Dao Ming Si so happy, Shan Cai couldn't help but smile with him.

So this was it. This was her first date with Dao Ming Si. Nothing spectacular, as she had dreaded, just a drink at a local café. But then again, this wasn't just any café; it was one of the most lavishing in the whole of Taiwan. This time, she had learnt from her previous mistakes and had spent a good hour or so finding the perfect outfit for the occasion, which proved to be a harder task than she had thought. But her efforts were rewarded by an awestruck Dao Ming Si who couldn't take his eyes off her.

"So erm, Shan Cai," said Dao Ming Si, trying to make conversation, "Were you born in Taiwan?"

"Yes, except I lived here for only a few months before moving to Hong Kong. So I don't really remember this place much, well at all," replied Shan Cai truthfully.

"Oh, I see. So you went to university in Hong Kong," reasoned Dao Ming Si.

"Yep. Why do you ask, Dao Ming Si?"

Dao Ming Si shrugged. "Just curious. And please, call me Ah Si" he added.

Shan Cai smiled and her cheeks turned to a light shade of pink.

"I hope you don't find it offensive or rude for to me to ask this, but what it likes?" she blurted out.

Dao Ming Si looked puzzled. "What do you mean?" he asked, "What is what like?"

"You know, being the owner of the largest company in the whole of Taiwan. Being a multi-millionaire, being admired by so many people, well, basically just being you," she finished lamely, hoping that she didn't sound too stupid.

This startled Dao Ming Si. What did he feel about it all? Did he like the publicity? The riches? His fame? Did he like it how girls drooled whenever they saw him? He suddenly realised that he had never really thought about it before. It was just all natural to him- there was nothing to it. To him, it was a part of life. It was like breathing, you just do it, something that just comes along in life. He hesitated, thought about it over his mind, and could not come to a decision.

Shan Cai took his silence as a sign that she went to far, that he was unhappy. She suddenly felt afraid. What if he blows up? She had heard of Dao Ming Si's infamous temper, everybody talks about it. Oh god, she groaned, I'm done for this time. When are you going to learn, Shan Cai, she thought as she mentally kicked herself.

"I'm sorry," she muttered softly, "That was totally inappropriate of me. I shouldn't have asked something so personal."

Dao Ming Si laughed. "Not it's Ok," he said, much to the relief of Shan Cai, "I was just thinking about it. I don't know frankly. It all seems natural, like its part of me. I don't know."

Shan Cai nodded her head. She was relieved that Dao Ming Si was not mad at her. She'd have to be more careful. Being careless could lead her not only to failing her mission, but even possibly to her death. She must think things over before saying, something she lacks ability in. She was never a person to keep things in her head; she tended to blurt things out, resulting in her bubbly, friendly nature. But with this mission, she had to change that trait.

"Yeah. I suppose so. I mean, you are the only son of the Dao Ming Enterprise. You grew up this way. You've never had a different life style to compare yours to. It was a stupid question in the first place."

"No," said Dao Ming Si firmly, then he looked up at her. "What do you think of it?" he asked suddenly.

"Me?" cried a shocked Shan Cai. "I dunno..." she stuttered. "Well I do know, I suppose. I think if it were me, I'd feel a bit lonely. I mean, sure there are all those fans around, but it's not the same. Like I would still make friends, except I wouldn't be sure whether they are really friends with me because they want to be or if they are after money or something else. It would be just so difficult. I'd probably be really suspicious of everyone around me." And then there's family. I don't know about you, but if it weren't for my parents, I would've never made it to today. And by that I don't just mean them feeding me and giving me shelter, I mean emotionally. Honestly, I think I have the best parents in the word. Sure, they're not perfect. They're not rich, or extremely good looking or anything. But they have given me so much support over the years. They have offered me advice on areas that I'm unsure of, helped me financially numerous times, and basically they've always been there for me. I don't know what I would've done without them. And I just don't think parents owning big companies and enterprises could do this. I'm not saying that they're necessarily bad parents. I'm saying that they have less time to spare for their kids because they're too busy. They probably love their kids as much, but it's just not the same if you don't' spend time with-"

Shan Cai stopped abruptly. She had just realised that she had been blabbering on. For the second time in a few minutes she blushed. "I'm sorry," she said shaking her head. "I must've bored you to death with that."

"That's the problem with me" she said and leaned closer, "Sometimes I just go one blabbering about nonsense and I can't stop. I just can't help myself. It's a habit I'm trying to get rid of. But so far, I've been unsuccessfully."

"Don't get rid of it," Dao Ming Si replied. "It's great how you can talk like that. You should pass some of the trait onto Lei. He talks too little. But anyway, tell me more about you parents. I'd love to hear about them."

Shan Cai nodded, smiling. She went on and told Dao Ming Si all about her parents, starting right from the days they first met, until she left them. It seemed that she told him every single incident about them for she spoke non-stop for almost an hour. But Dao Ming Si wasn't bored, quite surprisingly. He was listening intently and occasionally interrupting her with a question. Finally, she finished.

"So that's it. That's my parents. I've told you everything about them. Now it's your turn to tell me about your family."

Dao Ming Si paused, wondering what he could tell her about his family. He felt a bit insecure, if that was possible for the 'mighty' Dao Ming Si. His family was nowhere as interesting as Shan Cai's. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find anything interesting about his family to share with her. So he decided to try a different approach.

"What do you want to hear?" he asked Shan Cai, who looked at him eagerly.

Shan Cai shrugged and then grinned, "Everything."

That helped a lot, thought Dao Ming Si. "Well, the Dao Ming family is quite large. I have more than twenty first-cousins and so many other distant relatives that are impossible to count, some of which I haven't even met."

"Tell me about your immediate family then."

"Sure. Well, there used to be the four of us. My mother, father, my sister and myself, except I rarely saw my parents, especially my father. My parents are always away on business trips and conferences and once my sister was old enough, so was she. So usually it was just me and my servants. But now there's only my sister and me. My father died 3 years ago due to a heart attack and my mother died in a plane accident."

"Oh," said Shan Cai, clasping her hand over her mouth. "I'm so sorry for bringing it up Ah Si," she whispered apologetically, "I had no idea. I'm sorry."

"Nah. It's Ok," said Dao Ming Si, "I was never really close to them anyway. Like I said, I rarely even get to see them, say, around once every year for my mother and every two years for my father. Now my sister and I are very close, though let's just say that we have our differences. After my parents' death she's been living in New York, managing our companies there, while I look after the companies here."

"Do you miss her?" asked Shan Cai.

"Yeah, sometimes, I suppose. But it's not like we're never going to see each other again is it? I mean, we're only a flight away from each other."

"I suppose," said Shan Cai doubtfully. She was feeling sorry for Dao Ming Si now. Being the only heir to a multi-million dollar corporation sure sounded very lonely to her. She suddenly realised that Dao Ming Si wasn't that much a pig-head Qing He had made him to be. Were they wrong about this? Shan Cai quickly shook her head, getting rid of the thought. How could she think that?

"How long do you plan to stay in Taiwan, Shan Cai?" asked Dao Ming Si, changing the topic.

"I'm not sure. Around a year or two, maybe?" Shan Cai didn't state the fact that she would be here until at least her mission was completed, however long that might take.

"Then what are you going to do?" Dao Ming Si pressed on.

"I don't' know," replied Shan Cai, wishing that she could say something useful. "I'll decide when I come to that point." Privately Shan Cai dreaded that day, because that would mean she would've betrayed Dao Ming Si, something she wanted to do less and less as each day passes.

"You could well, stay in my company as long as you like. I could find a, um, more appropriate job for you," stammered Dao Ming Si unsurely.

Shan Cai at last understood what the point of this conversation was- Dao Ming Si didn't want her to leave. She was filled with a sudden glee, surprising herself. Why was she feeling happy that Dao Ming Si wanted her to stay?

"I erm..." she found that she was at a lost for words, which was something that she was not used to. "Thanks, I'll think about it," she said, finally managing to string some words together.

Dao Ming Si nodded, slightly disappointed.

Seeing him like this made Shan Cai drown in guilt. This was all her fault. Ah Si was so sincere with her, and she was only using him, toying with his emotions. How is he going to react when he finds out that all this was just an act? That she never cared about him?

"Thanks Ah Si," said Shan Cai, reaching for the car door handle, but Dao Ming Si pulled her back.

"Don't go yet Shan Cai," he whispered hoarsely, "I want to tell you something."

The dim moonlight was shining into the car and Shan Cai could tell that Dao Ming Si's face was flushed. What was he going to ask her?

"Shan Cai, will you be my girlfriend?"

A/N: oooooo... bit of a cliffhanger! Sorry that I haven't updated for so long. Been kinda busy lately (namely reading Lord of the Rings). It's a long book! And the third movie was sooooooo good!!!!!!!! Poor gollum sniff sniff Ok, enough about that, and more about this fic. I hope you've all enjoyed this chapter. I know it's going a bit slow and there's really no action and stuff, but bear with me coz this and about the next two or three chapters, are only an introduction. I promise that it will get more exciting, same applies for Rainless Storm.

And can someone please tell me in a review what Xiao You's last name is? YES! That's right! Xiao You is going to make an appearance in this fic! But sorry to disappoint any Xiao You and Xi Men fans, there won't be much about THEM. There'll heaps separate, but basically nothing of them together. It'll be smooth sailing for them in this fic. Let me see what else? Oh look out for a new chapter in Rainless Storm, I'll update that soon. If you haven't checked that fic out yet, please do. /RainlessStorm/ Please review peoples or email me at Amyranthfanfictionhotmail.com It is created soley for the purpose of fanfiction. So feel free to email me, coz so far I don't have a lot of mail! Any queries about the fic, predictions, advice, critisism... all welcome!!! That's all readers,

till next time, Amyranth.