Iris woke up gasping. Her heart raced, pounding so hard and so loud, as if it wanted to jump out of her chest. She was soaked in her own sweat, yet her body felt ice-cold and shivered uncontrollably. Her teeth was even chattering.
She looked around her familiar dark bedroom, trying to ascertain that everything was real, that she wasn't dreaming anymore. Remembering her nightmare…her breath hitched and she shuddered. It felt so real.
Forgetting her own self was the most frightening feeling that she had ever experienced in her two lives. It felt like she wasn't alive, like she didn't exist, like she was nothing…no one.
She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, focusing on the sound of the falling water from the wall-mounted waterfall fountain to slowly calm her down. It took a long time before her heartbeat slowed and her body stopped shaking. She still felt cold but at least it became more bearable than when she just woke up.
Now that she calmed down enough, she noticed that her body felt heavy. She also felt light-headed. Her lower abdomen was cramping and there was something wet and sticky between her thighs.
She sighed and climbed off the bed. Her pyjama pants and bed sheets were stained with blood.
Just walking was difficult. Everything ached and she felt a bit dizzy. Dragging her heavy body, every movement was a challenge.
She first headed to her walk-in closet to get a clean pair of pyjamas and underwear. Then she headed to the bathroom, opened a drawer for a sanitary pad, and cleaned herself up before changing into her clean clothes. She noticed that she was bleeding a lot heavier this time compared to her previous periods.
Panting from these simple actions, she leaned over the sink to wash the sweat off her face. Her reflection stared at her in the mirror, looking very pale…Long Xiulan's reflection.
"I am Long Xiulan." Her voice was a whisper. She spoke again, this time louder and stronger. "This is me. I am real. My name is Long Xiulan."
She forced a smile.
'What am I doing? It was just a dream, only a dream. No need to be so freaked out.'
She patted her face dry with a towel and headed back to her bed. She looked at the bloodstain on her bed sheets and sighed. Then she thought of something. She grabbed her duvet, gathered it in her arms, and went out of her bedroom.
Silently and carefully, she opened the door to the cat room. She peeked and saw her two kittens sleeping peacefully. Ice Cream was curled into a ball on her own small fluffy bed, while Popcorn was sprawled on the carpet with his belly up and tiny feet stretched in weird positions.
Iris smiled and entered the room, closing the door gently behind her. She walked to the sofa, planning to sleep there but changed her mind upon seeing the cute Popcorn. She placed the duvet on the carpet instead, and then laid down beside the sleeping kitten. She grabbed the other half of the duvet and covered herself.
Her cramps were becoming more painful, making it hard for her to find a comfortable position to sleep. However, she felt too lethargic to stay awake.
Giving a gentle rub to Popcorn with a finger, her eyes drooped close and her breathing became steady. Moments later, she was asleep.
###
Up in the sky over the Pacific Ocean.
A male flight attendant served each of them a cup of freshly brewed Saint Helena coffee. Jin Liwei acknowledged him with a nod and resumed his work. Xu Tian thanked the flight attendant and immediately sipped his cup.
Jin Liwei only employed male flight attendants. There were female ones before when he bought his first private jet, but he fired all of them when they continuously tried to seduce him. They were so annoying, disturbing him every few minutes, offering this drink or that snack or the creepy "let me give you a massage, sir". He never had any moment of peace, so he decided to only employ male flight attendants.
Unbeknownst to him, this decision of his fueled rumours that he was gay.
Xu Tian stood up from his seat and carried his laptop to Jin Liwei's desk. "President, this is the bid proposal prepared by the Fans for our next business project."
"Rejected." Jin Liwei didn't even look at it.
Xu Tian was taken aback. He blinked, wondering if he heard his boss correctly. "Uh, President…how about take a look at it first? Isn't this project in the area of their expertise?"
Jin Liwei stopped typing and looked at his assistant, his expression colder than usual. "My Jin Corporation will not have any further business with the Fans. We can't pull out of our current partnerships with them now, but the moment that our contracts end, we're done. We're not renewing. From now on, reject any proposals sent by them. No need to inform me. I give you my authority. Understood?"
Xu Tian was confused. Through their connection with the Old Madam, the President's mother, the Fans enjoyed a close connection with the Jins. The Second Master was even engaged to marry Miss Fan Luo. Everyone was already expecting a closer connection between the two families especially in business after the two married. In fact, the Fans were already using their status as the future-in-laws of the Jins to win advantageous business deals.
As if hearing his assistant's inner thoughts, Jin Liwei said, "I'm the boss of Jin Corporation, not my brother. He doesn't even work at the company and from what he tells us, he has no plan on doing so in this life. Fan Luo is marrying Chonglin, not Jin Corporation. There is no reason why I should let the Fans invade my company.
It must be because of Miss Long.
Xu Tian felt troubled. He could sense that his boss was falling more deeply for Miss Long by the day. He was happy for his boss who was finally showing some human emotions.
The reality, however, was far from ideal.
No matter how much one turned the world upside-down, it wouldn't change the fact that the President got himself in a problematic situation. He wondered if his boss would ever confess the truth to Miss Long, or would he bury the truth forever?
"Uhm, President, how about you…" Xu Tian's swallowed his next words. He didn't have the courage to suggest for his boss to confess everything to Miss Long.