First Doesn't Mean Last

Bet between Chen Xue and Xiao Lei

A beeping sound buzzed from the phone as it lightens up. Lei was still asleep. He opened his eyes from the loud noise and checked his phone. The time was 4:29 am. He put his alarm at 4 am but he's a heavy sleeper. So indeed, he would have woken up later than the time he set alarm on.

The young man accordingly recalled that he had a 'date' with the girl he was trying to get close to. Only then did he realized that he didn't know her name.
"Ah f*ck. I didn't even ask her name. Well, I'll ask today."
The man was motivated now that he had one more reason to visit Mei. He got off his bed and reached towards the bathroom.
After a light shower, he dressed up for his date.

-At Chen's mansion-

Around 5:15 am, someone rang the bell of the house.
{Ring, Ring, Ring}
The identical sound repeated for some minutes.

Chen Fei heard the noise and woke up. He shook Chen Zi who was sleeping beside him.
"Go check who came."
"What if it's a killer or something?" Zi asked the middle-aged man with a worried face.
No one ever rang the bell for so long in their house before. It was a first!
"Let's go together." Fei proposed as they both got off the bed.
They both took something to hit the person in case it's a murder or anything.
Zi took a large wooden stick that was already inside the room. It was used as a decoration since Mei bought it from England. It had a nice design craved on it with orange blossom petals.
As for Fei, he took Xue's football. He used to be good at shooting goals when he was younger. So he presumed he could toss it on the person's hand in case they have a gun or knife.

They both went down the stairs quietly to not wake up Xue who had fallen asleep on the couch with his laptop in his arms.
Zi opened the door slowly.
A man with a green t-shirt and blue jeans pants was standing in front of her. It was Xiao Lei.
"Who are you?" Chen Fei asked surprised to find a decent-looking man in front of their house so early in the morning.
"Actually, the girl of the Chen family asked me to come here at 5 am," Lei replied politely.
"Who?" Zi questioned him since she considered having two daughters. One, Daiyu and the other, Mei.
"Uhm you know, a girl with purple hair, violet eyes-" Lei stopped describing Mei as he saw their expression change gradually.

The old couple started to examine the make from head to toe intensely.
"Did I say something wrong?" Lei asked as he glanced at them over and over without getting a response immediately.

'Hmm... he's not bad in looks, but he gives off a playboy aura...' Zi thought while examining Lei.
'He won't be better than our Rui!' Fei thought as he realized Lei asked something.

"Ah no. Come in." He kindly invited him inside with a bright smile after a few seconds of silence.
"Do you want coffee?" Zi whispered while Lei walked inside to not wake up Xue'er.
"Uhm no. Was she woke up yet or?"
"Aah. You see, my daughter..." Fei bugged for a minute as Zi took over his unfinished sentence.
"She went to bed really late yesterday because of office works. Wait in the living room." Zi whispered with a grin on her lips.

'She invites me over but is sleeping! Wow.' Lei sighed and followed the old lady's words. He sat on the couch in front of Xue. The young man watched the child sleeping peacefully.
'So cute. He probably got all his dad's looks.'

The old Chen young went back upstairs. They asked Lei to wait until Mei woke up as he briefly wished them a good sleep.

At the same time, the male profited to look around the living room. The wall was white but there were a lot of pictures on it. There were paintings of different flowers on the wall, some roses, orange blossom, agnus castus, yellow and red roses and finally forget me not.
Lei's eyes landed on a big picture with a golden frame around it. It was a huge picture of a man at the center of that room. It was clearly visible from Lei's point of view. The man had a faint smile on his lips, cold blue eyes, with bright white hair. He was extremely handsome-looking.
"Is he somehow related to this kid?" Lei muttered as he glanced over the portrait and Xue'er over and over.

Lei stayed awake as long as he could until he couldn't help but close his eyes.

"...up"
"...Wake up!"
"Mister! Wake up!" Xue yelled at Lei who woke up in shock.
"Huh?" Lei looked around as he thought it was all a dream. Then, he remembered he had gotten up early to meet 'that' woman.
"Why are you in MY house?" Xue interrogated him.
"Your mother invited me over." He replied with a grin on his face.
"No way! Mommy won't ever do that!" The child protested.
"Go ask her." Xiao Lei crossed his arms grinning.

"Ask what?" Mei rubbed her eyes yawning as she walked down the stairs. Her nightgown was only a long white shirt and blue shorts. Her hair was messy yet she looked beautiful in Lei's eyes.

"Mommy! A stranger is inside my house. Kick him out!" Xue rushed towards his mother who had come on the first floor and hugged her legs.
"Stranger?" Mei asked again as she noticed Lei sitting on the sofa. "You?" She asked raising an eyebrow as she picked up her son in her arms.
"Hah. You invite me over but then you forget?" The male crossed his arms with a bright smirk on his face. He was enjoying teasing Mei.
"Oh. Right. I had to work overtime... but yeah. What did you need?" Mei asked as she took a sit on the sofa.
Lei glanced at Xue, signing Mei to ask him to leave.
"Xue'er, go get ready for school." Mei gently asked him as she put him on the ground. The child didn't argue and rushed upstairs inside his room.

A silence occurred as the kid left the living room. Chen Mei and Xiao Lei were sitting on different sofas and none of them uttered a word.
"So?" Mei broke the silence with her lightly cracked voice. "Ahem." She coughed to correct her voice.
Lei let out a soft laugh but immediately stopped as he felt Mei glaring at him.
"Well, weren't we supposed to go on a date?" Lei asked her to verify if she still remembered.
"Did I?" Mei cluelessly turned back his question at him.
"Yes. Get ready." Lei ordered her like he always does with the others.
"Hmm." Mei hummed not following his orders. "I'm not your employee, Xiao Lei." Mei coldly said with an overwhelming aura around her.

She hated being ordered around, no matter who. Her self-respect is probably higher than any other person in the country. She was known as being the most respected and valued woman as well.

"I mean. Let's get going when you are ready?" Lei said like a question to please her.
Mei sneered for a second and stood up. She reached out towards the stairs as Xue was walking down.
"Mommy, I'm ready!" he exclaimed in a joyful voice. "You will drop me today, right?"
"Of course baby. Wait for me." She headed inside the room to get changed.

Xue walked down the stairs and jumps on the sofa taking the seat beside Lei.
"Are you after my mommy too?" the kid asked Lei with an angered tone.
"Yes. What will you do, kid?" The young man asked with a smirk at the corner of his lips.
'I'll just have to teach you a good lesson!' Xue thought but shook his head. 'Like hell, I can say that!' The kid took a deep breath to control his anger and smiled. "Just try too. You're not good enough for my mom." Xue proudly talked back at him.
"Let's see."
"I give you a year. Let's see how you prove me wrong. It's a bet. And if you lose you will have to give me half of your company." Chen Xue announced with a grin on his face.
The child knew that no man could handle his mother as his dad did. After all, even his dad is the most perfect soulmate for her in his opinion.
All the men who tried to approach her ended up very badly. So Xue assumed no man could ever win over his mother's heart.
"You're just a kid, what do you understand of business?" Lei laughed.

"What are you talking about?" Mei asked as she walked down the stairs with a soft grin on her complexion. She was happy to see Xue enjoying his discussion with a man. She never saw it before so it caught her by surprise. After all, she valued her child's happiness over everything.

Lei and Xue shut up as soon as they heard Mei's voice. They were both afraid she had heard something. But from her actions it didn't seem so, so they both sighed in relief.
"Nothing, mommy. Just business." Xue spoke first as he glanced at Lei.
'Business?! What does he even know?' Lei thought but didn't talk. He only nodded at the kid's words.
"What business?" Mei interrogated the little boy. She was also surprised what type of business he might know of that he can talk about with a big company's CEO.
"Ah... That..." Xue didn't know what to reply.