Chapter 46

UNWORTHY

"You!"

Shancai watched with shock at the man standing before him, looking at her with such detachment in those eyes that she shuddered.

She never thought she would see him again.

Dao Ming Cheng.

"Hello, my dear Shancai."

"Why...why...I thought you were in New York..." Her voice trailed as she looked at him helplessly.

Dao Ming Cheng moved to sit down on the couch, crossing his legs as he reached for one of his Cuban cigars. Shancai turned at the sound of a door closing and saw the man who brought her here leave.

"Please," Dao Ming Cheng said. "Have a seat."

She could have easily refused, but her fear that her knees would buckle beneath her won over her pride. She sat down opposite him, her eyes assessing his face but, as always, she could not figure him out.

"I hope Xu Li did not give you a hard time on your way here?" Dao Ming Cheng asked, ever gracious.

She shook her head, finally finding her voice. "He was courteous."

Dao Ming Cheng nodded, lighting his cigar with a gold lighter.

"Good," he said. He looked at Shancai with calculation. "That was quite brave of you, Shancai, rushing off to see Dao Ming Feng. Brave, yet downright foolish."

She watched as he exhaled a puff of smoke. "Lesson number one. Never confront an enemy in her territory."

"Is that why you called me here?" she asked, deciding to pluck whatever little courage she has. "Because it is your territory?"

"It depends," he replied smoothly. "Do you see me as your enemy?"

"Should I?"

Dao Ming Cheng nodded with a gleam in his eyes. "Now I see why my son fell for you, Shancai. You are tough as nails. The question is...how long can you keep that up?"

She asked the question that has been plaguing her since she saw him in this room. "Did you ask the airlines and our affiliates to cut their ties with Skylark?"

"Do you think I was the one?"

"Frankly I do not know what to believe anymore, sir."

"Lesson number two. Never express doubts when in uncertain territory."

Shancai bit her tongue to keep from retorting to him. After all, he is still Dao Ming Si's father.

"Sir," she said, "I want to know why you brought me here."

"Because you agreed when Xu Li invited you."

"I do not like to waste both our time, sir."

He shrugged. "A man in my position and age have a lot of time to waste, don't you agree?"

"Well, I don't," she said, standing up. "So if you will excuse me, I need to get going."

"Why did you go to Dao Ming Feng?" he asked and Shancai saw he suddenly became serious.

"I wanted to talk to her."

"About?"

"About why she is interfering with my company."

"Do you have proof?"

He was beginning to infuriate her. "Her people are talking to my associates and affiliates, telling them to withdraw from my company. That is proof enough."

"I see," he said thoughtfully, nodding. "So you storm into her office, demand answers from her in her own domain, and then...what? Walk out of there with your head held high?"

Shancai's will faltered.

He raised his brow. "You think you could actually do that?"

She sucked in her breath. Through gritted teeth, she said, "I just want her to stop."

"And granted she was the culprit, do you honestly think she would obey you? Remember we are talking about Dao Ming Feng here."

"What do you want, sir?" she asked in a labored voice, suddenly feeling the urge to run out of here. But she was not about to, knowing it would give the old man the satisfaction if she did turn tail and run.

"What do you think?"

"Do you have anything to do with this?"

Dao Ming Cheng stood up and Shancai suddenly felt at a disadvantage, seated there.

"You have yet to learn Lesson number three, daughter-in-law," he said and strode to the door. Clearly the conversation has ended.

He was walking out the door when Shancai called out. "Wait!"

Dao Ming Cheng turned around inquiringly.

"What is lesson number three?" she asked.

He smiled, then said, "Never ask questions if you want to know something. Act on them. And then...foil them."

Shancai remained seated there, thinking about his words. But even as she left the building a few minutes later, she could not quite figure out Dao Ming Cheng.

An enigma. That he is.

Dao Ming Si felt like banging his cell phone against the wall. He had been constantly calling Shancai's office for about three hours now, and he's getting really worried.

"Damn it, Shancai, change your damned batteries!" he whispered aloud, laying his phone down on the table.

He looked around at the empty living room of their house and sighed. It is so quiet.

He had not gone to the office for the day, and that is a first in a long time. He had virtually stayed inside the house since he came here to find her gone.

He jumped at the sound of his cell phone ringing. He picked it up, saw it was Shancai and received the call.

"Shancai! Where have you been? I have been trying to call you all day!"

There was a slight pause before she replied. "Sorry, Dao Ming Si. There was something I had to attend to, and my battery went dead. Where are you?"

"Where else?" he asked. "Home, worried sick about you! What time will you get home?"

Shancai cleared her throat at the other end. "Uhm, Dao Ming Si, I might not be able to come home tonight...or tomorrow night..."

"What?!" This was not what he expected. "Why?!"

"I have to fly out of the country for a few days. Business, you see."

"Fly where?" To Dao Ming Si, this was a shock. After all, Shancai had never gone anywhere far without him. "With whom?"

"I am not sure where yet. Things might change at the last minute. My assistant will be accompanying me," she replied. "Don't worry, A Si. I will be alright."

"B-but..."

"I will just be calling you and updating you, ok? I have to go now. My flight has already been scheduled."

"What...wait...you are leaving now?!" This was all too fast for him.

"Yes. I will call you. Bye."

"Wait...!"

But she already hung up.

With a heavy heart Dao Ming Si turned his cell phone off and sat down on the sofa. Leaning his head back, he went over the conversation with Shancai, and suddenly fear coursed through him.

He does not know but...she sounded...detached.

He glanced around the room.

So empty.

Shancai hung up the phone and remained seated there for a long moment, staring at nothing.

She looked around the airport afterwards. She knew she was running away, just like before. But at least now she had an excuse.

Skylark could not afford to lose any of its affiliates. If she has to fly all over the world to see every single one of them, she would.

And she needs some time away from Dao Ming Si right now. She knew it was a cowardly act, but she also knew she would probably lose her mind if it goes on. She could not go on missing Dao Ming Si when he was just near her.

"I'm sorry, Dao Ming Si," she whispered.

When her flight was called she stood up and grabbed the satchel filled with newly-purchased clothes. See how much of a coward she is? She could not even go home to pack; not while Dao Ming Si was there, waiting.

"Business trip? Tsk tsk!" Xi Men shook his head. "Our Shancai is getting busy."

Dao Ming Si threw his friend a dirty look. The two of them were seated at their usual alcove in Meteors. It was the second night that Shancai was not at home, and Dao Ming Si found he had nothing else to do at work so he opted to pass the time in the bar.

Fortunately Xi Men was willing to join him.

"What was that look for?" Xi Men demanded, and Dao Ming Si shook his head, taking a swig from the bottle of Heineken in his hand. Xi Men sighed, shaking his head. "You are not used to this, are you?"

Dao Ming Si nodded. Xi Men was right. He was not used to having Shancai so far away.

"Well, you'd better start getting used to it," Xi Men said. "Shancai is now running a business. These things are bound to happen more often."

"You are not helping," Dao Ming Si muttered.

"I did not think I was." Xi Men took a deep breath and chose his words carefully. "Besides, it is not like you are not doing this to her yourself."

Dao Ming Si turned to look at his friend. "What does that mean?"

With a lift of the shoulders, Xi Men said, "How many nights have you worked overtime? You even missed Auntie Dong's birthday, and a few other occasions when you should have been there with Shancai."

"I was busy!"

"And now, so is she," Xi Men said, still trying to speak without reproach, careful not to thoroughly rile his friend.

"So is she getting back at me?" he asked. "Giving me a dose of my own medicine?" He shook his head in exasperation.

"Why don't you ask your wife? When was the last time the two of you had a talk, anyway?"

"We talked a few days ago, and we were fine. She had no complaints."

"Of course she would not complain," Xi Men said. "You know Shancai. She is not a whiner."

Dao Ming Si sighed as Xi Men went on. "You should spend time with her more."

Giving Xi Men a wry glance, Dao Ming Si asked, "Since when have you been the authority in relationships?"

His words cut deep and Xi Men clamped his mouth shut, reaching for his beer. Realizing his tactlessness, Dao Ming Si muttered under his breath.

"I'm sorry, Xi Men, that was uncalled for."

Xi Men nodded, giving his friend a small smile that said it was OK. But Dao Ming Si knew he touched a nerve there. He decided to change the subject.

"Any news on Mei Zuo?"

Xi Men shook his head. "Not lately. But I received a phone call from him yesterday. He has left for Japan."

A huge sigh escaped Dao Ming Si's lips. "Just as I feared."

"They are on their own now," Xi Men said in resignation. "Let us just hope for the best. But I have a feeling the next few days in Tokyo would be really...crowded."

"Crowded?"

"Hua Ze Lei and Aisha are there, and from what Lei told me over the phone, things have not changed a bit between them. Aisha had been avoiding him like the plague. Xiao Qiao is also there, closely working with Aisha." He shook his head in amazement at the cello player. "And also Jing is there. And now..." He let his voice trail.

"Now Mei Zuo is also joining in the fray." Dao Ming Si became silent for a moment then said sardonically, "What fun."

"Yeah," Xi Men agreed. "What fun."

He had been to Tokyo only a few times, and he came here only for the resorts and not for anything else. So it seemed strange for him when he stepped out of the airport and looked around him.

He was not here for a vacation. Far from it. He's here to try to win something â€" someone â€" back.

Mei Zuo reached for his cell phone and began dialing a number. After keying in the fourth digit, he stopped. Then sighed.

He switched off his cell phone and returned it into his pocket.

For a moment he was about to call Hua Ze Lei to let him know he was here in Tokyo.

Mei Zuo shook his head, laughing almost bitterly at himself. And, grabbing his bag, he hailed a cab and named one of the top hotels in the city to the driver.