Crossroad between the choppy waves and serene fields

Never again

"Kay, how was your trip? You seem a little distant and quiet ever since you came back" Er Ge asked over dinner

Kay continue sipping the drink at his hand, starring blankly at the table when Er Ge probe him

"Er Ge, why did you tell Yan Lan my whereabouts, any reason for that?"

Er Ge stopped for a bit before he asked "Did he find you? he casually asked and was surprised that you left for a trip after the promotion tour, he was looking forward to meeting up at the post mortem meeting briefing but when you didn't show up and found out you had an adjoining trip, he called to say he had an out of country overdue gathering he had to attend and took time off, I think he asked your secretary if he could meet you to discuss a few things as he'd be around Europe as well, did you guys meet up?" Er Ge ask again...his eyes seems to give away that he was hiding something else

"Kay...Ta Ge doesn't feel comfortable with Yan Lan so you need to be careful, he feels when Yan Lan is around you seems to be distracted."

"But you guys put him on the task to watch over me initially and now Ta Ge says Yan Lan is no good?"

"It's just business obligations that he was tasked to be with you when you were away from home for that 2 years or so, Dad ask me to check if us to get someone to be seconded over and to sort of watch over you ....I thought I'd approach my mutual friends who would want to be seconded to work on a few things over at Taiwan and Yan Lan took it up"

"How much was he paid?" I asked

"Dad helped him to secure a contract with our Korean counterpart and link his dad up with some investors that we had over in Japan"
"I see...."Kay replied as each word starts to sink in" ...."and this trip....?that you told him where I was, what is he getting out of this?" ...."well, I thought I'd fly him over since he told your secretary on potentially meeting you for some business discussion...."

"So you paid him to fly over to see me on the company's books?! Sorry Er Ge it's not adding up in my brains currently.....i can understand the 2 years away, but this was my trip to begin with .....what's with that?"

"I ask him if he still looking to extend the contract?"
"What contract?" Kay ask

"Kay....listen to me....i know Yan Lan and we are mutual friends for sometime now. He is a good friend but as usual he is a smart person, he plans for his future ahead on securing long term contracts to produce and market his dance and music production and that requires funding which he will need to pledge is loyalty too. He knows our company is one that he can rely on but because he is still amateur and upcoming he needs to find the right backing that he can trust and we are helping him on that."

"So you are saying whatever he does it's because he needs us?" Kay clarified

"Well in layman term that is how it works, you would know by now"

"Mnnn"

"I know you might have grown close to him but as you know we don't mix business with personal there's still a line so business decisions are made clearly"

Kay look back out into the far skyline 'sure we don't mix business and personal life but that's where I think I have messed it up further, close? It's an understatement... we have gone beyond even close'
As he whispered in his heart.