บท 104: The Favour (7)
When Lin Kang's young secretary assumed her boss was deep in thought about work, she was only half right. Lin Kang was deep in contemplation, that was true but he was hardly thinking about business and work, his mind was almost wrapped up over his earlier negotiation with Joann.
In retrospect, the whole incident felt like an out-of-body experience for Lin Kang because he barely recognized himself anymore. It was as if he was watching his former self and habits operate without his will and he had difficulty reconciling himself to the person who negotiated with Joann. Now, he wished to take back or clarify certain things he had said but it was too late for that already.
Then again, Lin Kang was not sure he could identify with the man he had become either. He was stuck in that twilight zone of unwilling to let go of the comforting past and the reluctance to move forward into the unknown future.
As hard as it was to believe, Lin Kang's proposition was aimed to help Xiu Ling. He noticed how alone and without ally Xiu Ling was at Lin family ever since Mrs. Xiu's departure. Since Joann was already such close friend with Xiu Ling, he'd figured they would be able to look out for each other if they were together.
Yes, the thought was understandably twisted but for a man who previously saw women as mere commodity, should that come as any surprise?
If anything, this should be considered an improvement already, at least the man had gained the hindsight to realize where he had done wrong. Something that could not be said for other men in his position.
In any case, the negotiation was not all that bad, at least Lin Kang walked away with the realization that he cared about his wife more than he was willing to admit before. While he had not fully accepted that as the truth yet, he was slowly moving towards it.
While he could not fix the past, he could work hard in the future to compensate for his mistake and that was what Lin Kang got down to do.
However, he had something more urgent to do first.
Lin Kang pressed the button on his intercom and seconds later, the door to his office opened again to reveal his vixen of a personal secretary.
The young woman's blouse was pulled even lower compared to before and her cleavage was plain for all to see. The young woman was very excited when she saw the light lit up on her machine. In her mind, it meant that her boss had finally found the use for her.
She began with a seductive smile on her face, "Yes, boss. How can I help you?"
She padded into Lin Kang's office and when she was next to Lin Kang's table, she bent forward, flashing her 'equipment' at Lin Kang.
Lin Kang felt annoyed at such a crude attempt at seduction. He turned his head back to his computer, not making eye contact with the young woman's face or any other part of her body.
Then, he ordered, "Go find me a list of potential male secretary."
The young woman was baffled by this order of his. She asked innocently, "Boss, are you hiring a second secretary?"
"No, I'm replacing you." Lin Kang answered in a straightforward manner. When he realized the young woman had not moved from her perch, he finally turned around to meet her eyes. To her dumbfounded face, Lin Kang said, "Yes, that means you're fired. Finish this last job I have for you and you don't need to report to work anymore tomorrow."
"Now, go!" Lin Kang ordered and the young woman moved to do his bidding.
…
In the Lin family mansion's dining room sat Xiu Ling and Lin Xi. Both Elder Lin and Mrs. Lin had already retired to their bedroom and Lin Kang had not returned from his company.
Xiu Ling was still sitting in the dining table because her mind was otherwise preoccupied. She ate slowly and the food did not have much taste to her mouth. She was merely repeating the motion of chewing and swallowing.
Lin Xi sat in his booster seat quietly next to her. The boy had finished his dinner but he did not seem like he was in the rush to go anywhere so he just sat there to keep his mother company.
She was still disturbed by what she heard from Joann that afternoon. When Joann came to find her, she assumed it was merely for a friendly get-together even though they had just returned from a trip together. Then again, Xiu Ling was not going to complain about spending more time with her best friend.
She welcomed Joann into her home with open arms and she was shocked by what Joann had to tell her. Initially, when Joann began by explaining the situation with Xu Corps, Xiu Ling volunteered to talk to Lin Kang on her behalf.
However, that was not why Joann was there, well, not 100 percent why she was there. Joann continued to explain that she had already gone to see Lin Kang. When Xiu Ling asked her about how the meeting with her husband ended, Joann revealed the horrible trade Lin Kang had offered her.
Xiu Ling was greatly appalled by what she heard. She had a hard time believing Joann but she also knew her best friend would not lie to her. Furthermore, Xiu Ling was reminded of the man her husband was and the advice Joann had given her during their trip together, 'a tiger doesn't lose its stripes that easily or sometimes, not at all.'
Perhaps Joann was right, the man had not changed at all. Then again, perhaps it was her own wishful thinking that had blinded herself to the truth before her. She had read too far into Lin Kang's actions with her own interpretation and Xiu Ling now understood how dangerous that could be.
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