Chapter 59: The Most Beautiful Woman

November 21, 20XX (Wednesday)

Zhao Manor & On The Road

Zhao Yang stood in front of the large double door of his childhood home, unsure whether he was ready to go inside and fetch her. He had already made a strategy on dealing with Mei Li's stubbornness. Yang had also reserved a private room for the two of them on one of the most exclusive French restaurants. He had even driven his Maybach to the front porch so she didn't have to walk too far in those heels that could stab eyes with sharpness, and then he had even fixed his hair using the side mirror of his sports car. He felt so uncool when he realized how nervous he was behaving.

Exhaling the nerves loudly, he opened the doors bravely puffing his chest in arrogance to try to mask his anxiousness. He had expected for Mei Li to greet him on the front door since it was already five minutes past five o'clock, but his mother and little sister had bombarded him.

Zhao Yang sharply whooped when his sister jumped into his arms with a smirk before sneering, "Who told you that you can take Mei Li on a date!? You need to ask me first!"

"Mei Li did," Zhao Yang deadpanned. It was apparent who his little sister loves more; it certainly was not him. How unsupportive of his family!

Mother Zhao sighed before pulling Yue out of her older brother's arms and told with a reprimand, "Don't think bad of your sister. She is just concerned about Mei Li. She had her heart broken recently. She doesn't need anymore hurt."

Zhao Yang blinked and complained, "Mom, do I look like I'm playing with her?"

"Nobody is thinking that…" Mother Zhao patted his arm in comfort, "Just return before 9 pm, okay?" At this Zhao Yue was nodding at the background causing Yang to feel irritation at her.

"You must remember to open the door for her, let her seat properly, be kind to her, don't let her eat anything with shrimps, crabs, and lob-" "lobster… I know, Mom. I've researched what she likes. We are just going to a French Restaurant." Zhao Yang interrupted his rambling mother. Who was her child; Him or Mei Li? He helplessly tried to calm his mother again as she started to ramble more information he already knows. He glared at his sister who was snickering at the side after she had stuck her tongue out in his direction. She must be the reason for making their mother this nervous for Mei Li's sake in his expense.

"Why are you so worried?" Yang caressed his mother's back, "Don't you want grandchildren? I'm working on it now, aren't you supposed to be happy?"

Mother Zhao's gaze momentarily hazed as she heard the word grandchildren. Yes, he had said it on plural form. Not one but many; Mother Zhao turned to him with a bright smile, utterly different to her worried state before, "Alright. I'll call Mei Li down so you can go."

'Finally!' Yang thought to himself with a cheer. He never thought he would get the Spanish acquisition on his back just for taking Mei Li out. Seeing his Mother disappear into the hallway, Immediately he turned to his little sister and glared, "You little devil! Did you say anything to Mei Li too?"

Yue smirked while looking at the fingernails on her left hand before blowing on it and then rubbing it with her shirt, "…Just Mom. Didn't want to make everything so effortless for you. You might be my brother, but that girl you're taking out is my best friend, so you better treat her right, or I'll sick Mom on you."

"Do you even know your best friend?" Yang snorted in disbelief, "She's savage and is potentially scarier than Mom."

Yue would have replied and obvious retort, but when Mei Li and Mother Zhao appeared into the room, she was cut off as the door to the hallway opened. Yang's eyes instantly roomed at Mei Li's body. She was wearing an off shoulders black bodycon dress that stopped on her ankles with a tall slit on the front showing off her right leg.

Yang stared a minute too long as Yue had full out laughed at his opened mouth. Was he drooling, again? Yang closed his mouth before flies would get in. His eyes followed Mei Li's every move even when the painter was in front of him; he stood still while committing everything to memory. He always thought that she was as beautiful as Helen of Troy, but tonight, he knew no other woman to compare 'Xue Mei Lin.' Helen of Troy would pale in comparison.

"You look unimaginably beautiful today," Yang drawled, "It almost makes me want to put you on a tower like Rapunzel's."

She snorted; her gentle image vanished in his mind at how unladylike she was. He shook his head, helplessly. He offered his right arm for her to hold. His smile widened when the red tint on her cheeks flushed into a redder hue when her left hand touched his arm. He could feel the heat of the touch spreading into his body.

In this position with the petite Mei Li to his side, he could see the split between her two ample mounds. He cursed himself for glancing down and causing himself another problem. Her dress may not have a lowcut front for her cleavage to show, but her height versus his was the cause that he could see it with bird's eye view.

Zhao Yang like a true gentleman lead her to the car, opened the car door for her, waiting for her to sit correctly before he pushed the fabric of the dress that was trailing behind her into the car and then buckled her seatbelt for her. He ran towards the driver seat after waving a short goodbye to the two women who were watching them on the front door, squealing like little girls in a candy store.

Yang drove while stealing glances at the painter on the passenger's seat. He turned the stereo on and the tune of Julie London's rendition of 'When I fall in love' echoed in the car and into their ears. Mei Li flushed again; she remembered that the CEO had witnessed her singing when she had cooked before. It was also a song the Julie London had sang; she knew then that he was teasing her.

"You can sing if you want to," Yang smirked. Mei Li turned her head to the opposite side, in an effort to ignore him while acting haughty. It would have worked if her face was not as red as it is.

Yang chuckled. Thinking that he had teased her enough, he gave her his phone while saying, "You can control the songs on that."

"How many minutes does it takes to arrive at our destination?" Mei Li asked while searching for a piano medley on his sleek black phone.

"...about fifteen minutes," Yang glanced at her again; She was busy typing on his phone. He cleared his throat before he said, "For this date, let's agree on one thing."

The painter immediately looked up and stared into his side profile, "What?"

"Since you agree to give us a try, let's stop censoring what we say and start speaking what's on our minds honestly." Yang offered. While his eyes were locked in the road, his hands felt slippery on the wheel. He was nervous for her reply, damn it. Why is he behaving like this?

"... and if I don't agree?" Mei Li asked after a while. Her soft voice was almost blending into the piano melody on the background.

"If you won't agree.." trailed the CEO with a smirk as he stirred the wheel so the car turned right, "I can always tell Mom about your identity as Miss M."

Mei Li huffed, "You're blackmailing me then?"

Yang turned his head to her direction after he pulled over when the stop light signaled red. He leaned into Mei Li's direction, nearing his face into hers while staring intensely into her eyes and said, "You probably forgot who I am. Let me introduce myself to you. I am Zhao Yang, a businessman who takes advantage of every possible means to obtain something. Right now, I want you."