Payback Time

Eight

Do you believe in the supernatural?

The man's next choice of topic was odd.

Putting down her fork and knife, Zhang Meng remarked, "I knew it, you are a vampire."

Her "insult" barely made a dent in Ying Kong Shi's armour - he was simply unflappable. Another one of his aggravating smiles that gave away nothing appeared and he simply elaborated, "Like gods, immortals, deities."

After reluctantly making a truce with Ice's Vice President, purely because she wanted to enjoy and digest dinner, the meal had been unexpectedly pleasant. Ying Kong Shi was not sleazy, he had not given any indication that sexual favours were his end game. They had discussed work and the man had asked about her family, although she had avoided returning the same inquiries in case that would display interest on her part. Yet something inside of her was certain that his intentions weren't that simple, this man definitely had an ulterior motive.

But what, she couldn't tell.

Objectively, her dinner companion was superficially superior - she couldn't deny that he was indeed a looker. Zhang Meng preferred a more rugged masculine man. Ying Kong Shi was simply too pretty, he wasn't her type and neither was she his. This kind of good looking men went for delicate princesses that required their men to wait hand and foot on them.

Zhang Meng had to be one of the most independent women around.

"No. I do not. Those are bullshit. Everything has got a scientific reason for being."

"So you never wished for Santa Claus to bring you a toy on Christmas Eve and never dreamt of beautiful gods of fire and ice?"

This man was specific in his probing of this now interesting subject.

For some reason, the woman didn't think twice to be honest. Silly, light hearted banter were what conversations between two strangers were made off, no? "Yes, like every child, I believed in Santa, at least until I was seven. As for gods in my dreams, no, I don't think so, beautiful or otherwise. Don't tell me that you believe in them?"

"The universe is larger than you think, Miss Zhang. Sometimes science has its limitations."

"I'm surprised. I would have thought you, Mr Ying Kong, of all people would be rational."

As Ying Kong Shi spoke in all manner of serious, the woman swore the restaurant's temperature dropped dramatically. "But then how would you explain a sudden hailstorm in the middle of summer?"

Looking straight into the man's large eyes, Zhang Meng found herself unable to look away. The sudden cold raised the goosebumps on her arms. Fleeting images of a wintry landscape flashed past as though part of an impromptu slideshow. Still staring at Ying Kong Shi and in a bid to keep warm, her mind unconsciously conjured up flames that was somehow reflected in his irises.

"Or forest fires in the most unlikely of places?"

Forcing herself to blink, the woman simply quipped, "Global warming."

Except Zhang Meng had lost her appetite by now - was what just happened just a cheap mind trick that Ying Kong Shi had conjured up or was there something sinister at play? The sense of comfortable companionship had vanished and for some reason, the woman felt extremely exposed.

And frozen.

She realised she didn't want to be alone with this man.

Her dinner date had not spoken since her retort. Ill at ease, Zhang Meng decided she was done with diplomacy - she would deal with her brother's grumbling later. Normally she would suck it up but this time, something was genuinely odd about the situation.

"I'm sorry Mr Ying Kong, I have to leave right now." Abruptly pushing the chair back, she took off, clutching her purse against her chest as if it could protect her. She refused to look back to see whether Ying Kong Shi had any reaction, the cold was spreading through her body.

It was too late to call the family driver, the woman didn't want to have to hang around the first floor of the building to wait for the chauffeur in case the Vice President of Ice came after her. Frantically looking around for an available taxi, she rubbed her upper arms with her hands in a bid to keep warm. Just what the hell was happening to her?

Fiddling the mobile phone to find the taxi cab app to arrange for an immediate street pick up, Zhang Meng could feel her fingers losing its sensation. Since she was a baby, the daughter of Hu Bing was sensitive to low temperatures. She vetoed every single winter vacation idea that her brothers suggested. Jiang Chao and Ya Xin had taken to jetting off for ski holidays annually without their sister. The only silver lining was Zhang Meng's sizeable and enviable outerwear collection. Now cursing herself for forgetting a jacket before dinner, she could hear measured footsteps coming behind her.

Fuck, she should have walked out to the main street.

"Miss Zhang, is everything OK?" Ying Kong Shi was calm and collected.

Her muscles started to involuntarily spasm from the cold she somehow felt. "Please do not come near." She warned in a trembling voice, holding up one hand. With the other, she managed to tap on the emergency contact icon on the phone's screen before the inevitable happened.

Zhang Meng blacked out, falling face ward to the ground.