It was two in the morning.
What was Zhu Li doing up at two in the morning? She really had no idea herself. It wasn't a particularly restless day. She wasn't overly stressed about upcoming events. She wasn't hateful, or moody, or disappointed, or in pain; she just couldn't fall asleep.
She was lying in bed, but she was making no effort to fall asleep. Her husband was supposed to be sleeping next to her, but he had rolled off the bed and was now lying on his face, snoring loudly. Zhu Li found it slightly adorable, yet mostly annoying. In her hands was a large novel, her eyes scanning back and forth across the pages, taking in the information emotionlessly.
In a few days, she would have to leave her home behind once again. She would be touring around the world with Shang for thirty days, and though she could not claim she knew much about the devious businessman, she was glad to be involved in something that would assist Future Industries. Throughout all of the ups and downs of the past few years, Asami was a kindred spirit. Anything that could prove helpful to the struggling CEO was an accomplishment.
The phone rang. Zhu Li stared at the device on her nightstand quizzically. Who would be calling at this hour? She looked expectantly at Varrick, but he did not stir. With a disinterested groan, she placed her book on her lap, and picked up the phone.
"Who is this?" she asked.
"Hello? Is this the right number?" asked a young, slimy voice. "I'm supposed to have the number of a Mr. Varrick."
"Yes, this is the right number."
"Oh, sorry. I didn't realize he had a broad over."
"This broad," Zhu Li said, her voice monotone. "…is his wife."
"Huh, that's strange," the man muttered. "I thought he was unmarried. Anyway, this is Shang. How are you, Mrs. Not-A-Broad?"
"Fine," she groaned, noting the distinct lack of apology. "Is there a specific reason you decided to call at two in the morning?"
"Is there a specific reason why you're awake at two in the morning?"
Zhu Li said nothing. She felt a sudden urge to hang up the phone, but managed to restrain herself.
"Listen, you know how I scheduled that trip with all of us for like, five days from now?" Shang asked.
"Is there something wrong?"
"No, not anything wrong," he said. "Well, I guess there is one thing: I'm so damn bored. I mean, I'm ready to get this trip going right away, and yet I'm still going to be forced to wait another week or so to go. It's tiring! So, I figured, since waiting around for time to kill us all is dumb, I've decided to reschedule the trip… for tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Zhu Li asked in shock. "Shouldn't you have maybe told us that a bit sooner?"
"Well, I only made up my mind about ten minutes ago, so no, I couldn't have," Shang said, showing no sign of regret. "It's not that bad. You can pack together some toothbrushes or whatever in a few hours. Then, tomorrow at noon, we're going to head out on this grand expedition together!"
It became obvious to Zhu Li at that moment that Shang clearly didn't understand anything about normal people. If he wanted to leave at noon, then that gave her ten hours to pack a month's worth of supplies for both her and Varrick, because she knew full well that he would be to unconscious to do anything. Plus, she would have to shift around appointments, inform others of her sudden departure, and pretty much cancel every single project she was currently working on.
"You're insane," Zhu li stated bluntly. "We can't get ready this quickly. We agreed to leave in five days, and that's what we're going to stick to."
"Well, that's too bad," said Shang, feigning disappointment. "I'm leaving tomorrow no matter what. I guess if you don't want to come with me, then we could just cancel this whole deal we've got going on and go back to being competitors."
"Wait, wait," she said tiredly. "What did Asami have to say about all of this?"
"Oh, she doesn't know. You're going to have to tell her that. I can't be in control of everything."
"When am I going to be able to tell her? It's two in the morning. She's probably asleep."
"You were probably asleep, and yet here you are, talking to me," Shang said matter-of-factly. "Look, just tell her that if she wants to help Future Alliances, she'll come to my offices, packed and prepared, by noon. I expect to see you and Mr. Varrick there as well."
"You're an ass."
"And what a genius ass I am," he retorted smugly. "Goodnight, Mrs. Not-A-Broad. See you soon!"
Zhu Li slammed the line down on the receiver. She buried her face into her pillow. In a quarter of a second, all of her plans were ruined. Instead of even hoping of going back to sleep, she was now going to have to spend ten hours of her time getting ready for a stupid business trip with a horrible, misogynistic worm. It made her feel sick that someone who acted in such a childish manner could ever become the head of such a successful enterprise. Who would even trust someone as immature and ignorant as that?
"Yes, baby… turn the foot massager up to seventy percent," Varrick moaned dreamily.
It took ten minutes of angst holding her in place before Zhu Li managed to grab the phone once more, and give Asami the call. Best case scenario: Asami reluctantly accepted her fate, and went back to sleep. Worst Case Scenario: Zhu Li would have to deal with two unbearable CEOs.
"H-hello? Asami responded drearily after several minutes.
"It's Zhu Li. We have a slight problem."
Asami yawned. "Zhu… what are you doing up at two in the morning?"
"Never mind that. I need you to pay attention to what I'm going to tell you, okay?"
"Uh… sure," Asami shook herself awake. "Hey, did you know that Bolin is getting married? I'm so happy for him…"
"Focus, Sato!" Zhu Li said sternly. "It's about Future Industries. We might have a small problem."
"I'm focused! What's the issue?" Asami said bitterly. She had just awoken from one of the best sleeps she had in ages, and the one thing she was not in the mood for was a problem.
"Shang has decided that our comfort was not in his best interest," Zhu Li explained. "He wants us to leave tomorrow at noon. He says he hates waiting and refuses to start the trip any later."
"Tomorrow?" Asami asked in disbelief, gradually growing more aware of her surroundings. "You mean actual tomorrow? I have stuff to get done… can't it wait—"
"He said…" Zhu li paused. "He said that if you delayed, the deal with Future Industries was off. It's either tomorrow or nothing. I'm sorry."
Asami was silent. Zhu Li, although knowing fully well that none of it was her fault, still felt horrible about the news. She spoke softly.
"It's alright. We can work around this, but you should start packing now. Get some coffee, grab a bag, and start getting your—"
"I'm not going," Asami interrupted her.
Zhu Li froze. "What are you talking about?"
"If Shang's insisting on leaving tomorrow, then you're just going to have to tell him that I'm not coming along."
"Sato, I don't think you get it," Zhu Li said, agitated. "Shang was very specific: if you don't show up, you're out of the deal."
"He doesn't actually mean that," Asami said, slightly unsure. "If you're stubborn enough with him, then he should change his mind; it worked pretty well last time."
"And if, by some chance, you don't know what you're talking about and he refuses to listen, then what are you going to do?"
"Then…" Asami contemplated. "Then, I'm going to do the exact same thing. I'm not leaving."
"Asami, think about this—"
"No, I'm thinking about it," said Asami harshly. "We made an agreement to leave in five days, and that's what I plan to do. There are too many important things for me to just get up and leave without a moment's notice. If it comes down to it, then I'll fly out and meet you along the way."
"You're company is at stake. Be reasonable!" Zhu Li pleaded. "This is the same business you have been freaking out over for months. What could be so important that you're going to risk this deal for?"
"I… I told Korra that I would spend the next few days with her," Asami said, almost ashamedly.
"You're… you're going to screw over Future Industries so you can hang out with your girlfriend for another few days?" Zhu li said in disbelief.
"Yes," Asami said with conviction. "That's exactly what I plan to do." Zhu Li heard a moan on the other end of the line.
"Babe, what the hell are you doing?" a groggy voice asked gently.
"Korra, go back to sleep," Asami whispered. "It's just a business-related thing."
"But I—" Korra yawned. "—I thought you were through with that."
"I am," Asami insisted. "Just go back to sleep."
Zhu Li stammered. "Oh… I didn't know Korra was there with you."
"What… oh no, it's not—" Asami flushed. "No, I mean… she didn't want to take a ride back to… I was just letting her crash and…"
"I think I get the picture," Zhu Li sighed uncomfortably.
"No, it's…" Asami groaned. She brushed aside the comment. "Look, a few hours ago, I found out that one of my best friends is getting married. It gave me a revelation: this life, this business, isn't worth losing everything over. I have been sitting idly by, watching people live to the fullest while I drown myself in my work. Frankly, I don't see the point in doing that any longer. I made a promise to Korra—to the one person I care about more than anything else in the world—that I was going to spend the next few days with her. I don't care if it means that the company goes under; I can work my way around is. I don't care if I lose all that I've been working on, not anymore. All I know for certain is that no matter what happens, I am not breaking my promise to Korra."
Zhu Li sighed. "I'm glad that you're sticking up for someone you care about. That's a really noble thing to do. Except, Asami, you've clearly forgotten: Korra is still just a person. If she cares about you as much as you care about her, then I'm sure she would be able to forgive you for something like this."
"I know she would," Asami agreed. "But… I wouldn't."
Without another word, Asami hung up the line. Zhu Li stared contemplatively at the receiver. She still felt responsible for everything that was going wrong, but she knew that it was all the fault of stubbornness. Asami's problems were her own. Shang's stupidity was her own. Unfortunately, she was now caught in the horrid position of having to explain to Shang that the parties had failed to work out an agreement. Best case scenario: Shang was a reasonable person, and was willing to change his mind.
Worst case scenario: she would have a lot of explaining to do.
It was two in the morning.
What was Nuo doing walking in the park at two in the morning? It wasn't that she was usually asleep at this hour. In fact, in her line of work, she thrived at this hour. However, this was a slow night, and she somehow found herself walking in the middle of the park. It was nonsensical: she should have been downtown with her friends, making money so she could actually live for once. Instead, she walked down a path of solitude, a thick coat wrapped over her otherwise revealing outfit.
"Man, it's freezing," she muttered to herself. Was that the cause of the night's slow business? Was it simply too cold? No, she decided, it mustn't be that. There had to be another reason for such poor business. Then again, it didn't really matter. No matter what the cause of the issue was, she still had no customers, and she was still walking by herself in the park in the middle of the night.
She stopped to rest by a dim streetlamp. Nuo wasn't afraid of the dark; she had spent most of her life in the nighttime. Still, when a voice called out to her from the shadows, she couldn't help but jump.
"Hey miss, are you alright?"
Nuo jumped back, and immediately felt foolish. Although she could not see the figure, the voice sounded gentle and innocent enough.
"Uh, no," she said awkwardly. "I'm fine. I'm just walking around."
"Isn't it a bit early to be walking around?"
"No, this is my time of the day" Nuo said with a shrug. "It is pretty damn cold though."
"You're time of day?" the voice contemplated. "Oh, I get it."
"Get what?"
"It's obvious. Since you're a prostitute, you get pretty used to dealing with people in the dark."
Nuo became nervous. "Hey, you maybe want to shut your mouth about that kind of stuff? And… how did you know that anyway?"
"Oh, I've been trying to reach you for a while. I like you."
She stared closely into the nearby brush, trying to make out a discernable figure, but saw nothing but darkness.
"Are you… a customer?" she asked nervously, feeling a sense of unease wash over her.
"Yes, I am," said the calming voice. "if you'd take a step over here, maybe you could actually get some money tonight. After seeing you, I'm willing to spend plenty."
Nuo looked up at the comforting light of the lamp. "Why don't you come out here?" she asked. "Maybe you could show yourself before we get the deal going."
"I asked you first," said the voice. Nuo looked around for signs of others. She was alone with the voice.
"Look, I'm just not feeling good about this," she admitted. "If you show yourself, then maybe we can work this out. Unless that happens, then I'm afraid I just can't—"
All at once, the air was knocked out of Nuo's lungs. She gazed down at her stomach; a thick blade was protruding from her gut. Before she could muster the energy to scream, and hand reached out from the darkness, clasped itself over her mouth, and dragged her into the brush. The streetlamp flickered itself out.
It was two in the morning.
Note: Sorry for another short chapter again. Luckily, things are starting to heat up, and the real horrors are about to begin. As always, review if you can, and we'll see you soon.