Until Then...

Chapter 9

Clouds were grey over the horizon; the whole city was gloomy and not particularly energetic despite being a weekday. He Tian stared at the dark clouds sailing across the sky through the car's window, his expression was somber. The black Mercedes raced down the road gracefully and quietly. In fact, it was a bit too quiet, enough to make Secretary Li who was tasked as driver, uneasy in his seat. He stole glances from the rear view mirror but his boss was too deep in his own thoughts to notice him. And unexpectedly he heard him sigh, deep and loud. "Will you focus on driving? Brief me about this Zhang meeting instead of staring at me." He Tian said without looking at the poor secretary who was caught red handed.

"Ahem...ahem...I have looked into Zhang house and Northern ward as you said and what master Jian said is true. Shen Li has taken roots there. Small hold but enough to cause trouble. And though he is wrecking havoc, Zhang house seems to be letting it happen."Secretary Li smartly diverted his embarrassment into business. He Tian tapped the seat with ease as he listened, not caring a bit about the flustered employee.

"So I sent some informants to gather news about Zhang family." "Naturally."A smirk hanged loosely on He Tian's face. "The details are in the file beside you, master He." Secretary Li was feeling particularly proud of his handiwork.

He Tian glanced at the paper file beside him and took them out without much care. He skimmed through them and then put it down. "Reading on moving car makes you nauseous." He clicked tongue and grabbed a water bottle. "So this Zhang Xi Xi is not really the head, is that it?" he took a big gulp and asked.

"Not exactly, sir. He is the legitimate head of the Zhang house. In name at least. The one actually holding the reins is his uncle. His father's younger brother. It seems he been aiming the head position for a long time and now that the old head on his dead bed, he got his wish."

He Tian smirked; this type of dirty old man is what he liked to crush the most. "So that old man is the one who is letting Shen Li wild." "Yes, that's the gist. I believe they must have some kind of arrangement between them but still don't have anything to prove it."

He Tian folded arms across the chest and said, "Then today meeting with Zhang Xi Xi won't bring us any significant profit...but..."

Secretary Li looked through rear mirror and felt chills as he saw his master's scheming smile stretching wide on his ever stone cold face. "This should be interesting. If we can make the good ol' Xi Xi wake up and see the way of the world..." Secretary Lee intelligently caught up on what his master was up to and he too smiled. The pair raced down the mildly congested traffic in black Mercedes like devils on a mission.

Little Mo looked up the towering building which he was held prisoner for several days, scrunching his eyes as the beams bounced off from the glass hurt them. He didn't know what he should feel. Lost? Angry? Sad? He couldn't choose one. He pulled his thin jacket tight around him and started to walk down the pavement. Why that bastard let him go this easily? What could he be plotting? It couldn't be....it couldn't be that he meant what he said. Be in relationship with him?

Sudden chills run up his spine and his chest started to hurt. I don't want to see him or do anything concerning him. He was almost running down the road, the wind blowing hard against his face. It was not the sorrow of losing his backside virginity or him turning gay. He had no hard feelings over the physical trauma done to him. It was the fear. The fear of being overwhelmed and the shame of powerlessness in front of him.

In his whole life, he wasn't blessed with luxury but he had confident in his physical ability and his mental capacity that no matter how hard things were he would survive. But the moment he was pushed down and taken without consent, the fear was unfathomable. It broke his confident that had helped him live through many dark nights. But now he felt as though he had nothing left. Nothing.