Toronto, Canada.
The sun blazed brightly above the clear blue sky. The clouds floated like giant white cotton candies.
It was the peak of summer, the weather quite hot. Fortunately, cool breeze from the great lake would blow now and then, making the otherwise humid temperature refreshing.
Jin Liwei and Xu Tian exited the convention centre, alongside other business leaders from all around the world. The famous landmark tower of the city cast its tall shadow over them, as they strode to their waiting cars.
The chauffeur opened the rear door and Jin Liwei climbed inside the car. Xu Tian sat at the front passenger seat. Jin Liwei instructed the chauffeur on where to go next.
He loosened his necktie and opened the first two buttons of his dress shirt, sighing in relief. The small, red love bites were exposed on his neck.
The chauffeur just happened to glance at the rear-view mirror and saw the hickeys on his boss' neck.
"What happened?!" Jin Liwei barked when the car suddenly braked, but then smoothly resumed driving like nothing happened. Thank goodness for seat belts.
The poor chauffeur coughed. "Pardon, sir. I thought there was a squirrel crossing the road. Must be my imagination."
Ah, how dangerous. The chauffeur cautiously glanced at the rear-view mirror again. The glaring red marks on his boss' neck proved that the hickeys weren't just figments of his imagination. What the hell? Did this mean that the boss finally found a lover? But the most important question: was it a woman…or a man? The chauffeur mentally hit himself on the head. He needed to focus on driving or else they would really crash. Besides, his boss' love life was none of his business.
Jin Liwei frowned but didn't say anything.
He fished out his phone. His wallpaper was a photo of him and Iris holding their two tiny kittens. His baby girl looked so beautiful with her enchanting smile. As for him, although he wore his usual cold expression, his eyes looked somewhat gentle. His arm wrapped possessively around Iris. Ice Cream stared at the camera looking like everyone in the world was beneath her, while her brother Popcorn looked comical with his little paws up in the air, mouth and eyes wide open, his little pink tongue out, as if laughing like a hooligan.
Jin Liwei's mouth curved into a slight smile, pleased with their family picture.
He was tempted to call Iris, but looking at the time, he could only wait until later. She should be in deep sleep now.
Based on Dominic's daily reports, his baby girl worked extremely hard every day. Her assistant also sent him regular snapshots and even short videos of her during rehearsals. Jin Liwei was shocked to discover that she was skilled in many different instruments besides the piano.
She was only becoming more and more mysterious the longer he knew her.
He was missing her so badly. So much. It almost drove him crazy that he couldn't see her in person for an entire workday week. He wanted to return to her as soon as possible, and hug her and kiss her…and finally to make love with her.
He was starting to feel aroused just thinking about her. He took a deep breath and recited the value of pi in his mind, attempting to control himself.
After reaching a couple hundred of digits, he finally calmed down.
Jin Liwei watched her nimble movements during sparring. He had to agree with his Fourth Brother that Iris was talented in Systema. She looked very natural and fluid. She almost looked like she was dancing.
He had to recite the value of pi again because his body couldn't help but react thinking about her.
Finally, they reached their destination. The car drove in front of the main entrance of a high-rise condominium. The modern, glass building stood tall, overlooking the great lake. It had a magnificent view of the yachts and sailboats cruising leisurely over the waters. Ferries transported tourists from the city harbour to the islands, and then back again.
The chauffeur opened the rear door and Jin Liwei climbed out of the car. Jin Liwei entered the building by himself. After speaking to the intercom, the sliding glass door opened.
A private elevator took him to a penthouse unit. Immediately upon entering the unit, he heard Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" gently playing in the background. Nice speakers. Very clean and crisp. He would ask later which brand they were.
He walked to the modern, minimalist style living area. Everything was white and grey. The view of the great lake outside was spectacular. It almost didn't look like a bustling city at all.
"Third Brother?" a male voice called out. "I'm at my office."
Jin Liwei headed to the office and saw a roguish man with a mischievous smile reclining on a chaise longue, a book in his hand.
"Fifth Brother, good to see you alive and well," Jin Liwei greeted his friend.