Romancing The Tiger

Chapter 3

Changhai Airport, China

Dressed in a red coloured cheongsam dress, laced with gold thread and her hair neatly worn in a braided bun, Mei Ling descended from the airplane after a long flight from England. Drenched in a different time zone and in a different culture, she looked around her in awe, taking in every detail like a child discovering a new world. Wow, the airport was so huge!
Following the masses, she headed to the area where her luggage would be. Waiting patiently for her luggage, she looked around. Soon she would meet someone from the company to escort her to the office, according to her latest received e-mail. Checking in into her hotel she would have to do after the meeting, she thought as she browsed through her schedule of the day.
After taking her luggage and passing the safety control she walked to the main hall, looking out for someone holding a board with her name on it.
She was too excited to feel tired. Sleep was for the weak, she thought grinning to herself as she looked around her, mezmerized by the hyper-modern infrastructure of the airport. Animated chatter in Mandarin surrounded her subconsciously when travelers passed her by.
Europe was still so far behind in technology, she thought when she saw a little boy pay with his smartwatch after receiving an ice cream from a salesman.
Suddenly she heard a noise behind her... screams.
Not knowing what was happening she turned around to see several people moving towards one direction in the main hall. Like a flock of birds moving in sync a group of people moved slowly towards her. What was happening?
It slowly dawned on her they were all taking pictures of someone in the middle.
"Oh, my god, it is Wang He Di!", she heard someone screaming.
Who was Wang He Di?
"What is he doing here," she heard someone else ask in utter excitement. "I thought he would be staying in Shanghai all week. Is he having another flight, today?"
Rapidly processing the situation, Mei Ling guessed this Wang He Di had to be someone really important to cause such a scene with his presence. But why was he moving in her direction?
People next to her started to cheer when they too saw him walk in their direction.
"Holy Buddha be with us, he is coming right at us! Is he flying to Xiangyang again for his new drama? I heard he has become a star after his role in Meteor Garden!"
M... Meteor Garden?!
The man who was drawing all attention to him, looked oddly familiar, but she could not attach any name to him. Frowning, she tried to recall any information about him. Minutes passed as she slowly gained a clearer view of the man. Then the crowd broke apart and she finally saw him in full profile.
As graceful as a panther, a tall masculine beauty, with hair as black as the night and the aura befitting a king, walked across the main hall in her direction. The crowd around her made gradually room as he draw nearer.
Then suddenly flashbacks of her conversation with Nao Lan about Meteor Garden hit her all at once...
'Played by... Wang... he does not speak English very well... I read in an interview... to learn for roles overseas...' she heard her sister say in her mind.
Mei Ling gasped as the reality of her situation slowly became clear to her.
All her senses made him suddenly the center of her undivided attention. The cheerful voices of the crowd tuned out and she could only hear the rush of her blood in her ears and feel her heart hammering fast in her chest. Her breath got caught in her throat.
When he looked straight at her and their eyes locked, she gasped, taken aback by the sensation of lust she instantly felt when she got lost in his intense dark brown eyes. Time just stopped.
Then he stopped right in front of her, ignoring the whispering crowd. All eyes were on both of them now.
"Miss Ming Mei Ling?" His voice held a masculine vibration, matching so well his equally masculine presence.
"Yes, that is me," she said softly in perfect Mandarin. Not knowing what else to say, she waited for what he would say next.
"Welcome to Shanghai, miss Ming. I hope your flight went smooth.
The car is already waiting. My name is Dylan Wang, but you can call me Didi! I will be your motivated student during your stay. " He smiled. A genuine smile that reached his eyes, showing a gorgeous set of white teeth and dimples in his cheeks.
Oh... fuck!