Before Wei could respond, he raised his hand and said, "do not interrupt me. I heard you out. Now it's my turn to speak. First of all, Jia Li is my girl, so keep your HANDS OFF her. Her happiness is my responsibility and I am pretty serious about it. I don't need some outsider to come and lecture me over it. Second, you better start looking for a replacement for her as your employee because when I go back to Shanghai, she will go with me. Third, if we are to remain business partners, then you need to know one thing about me. I am extremely, extremely possessive about my precious ones. Any encroachment upon them is a deal breaker for me."

Wei gave a short laugh, "finally there is something common between you and me. Even I am extremely protective about the one I love and I would do anything to ensure that person's well-being."

Tang snorted and spun around, walking away from there. He couldn't believe the audacity of this guy who dared to proclaim his love for Jia Li in front of him.

"I am going to ensure that she is far out of your reach real soon," he muttered to himself.

Wei stood at his place, trying to calm himself down. He didn't want Jia Li to see this side of him. He knew she had been upset with his behaviour since this morning but he couldn't help the primal reactions which she was bringing out of him. Normally an easy going guy, he had suddenly turned into a caveman and he was ashamed of his own lack of control.

Shanghai

"Why didn't you come to office today? Don't tell me that you are going to mop over some guy, sitting at home for a week, like those simpering wives. No guy is worth it…haven't I told you that many a times?" Mr. Liang admonished Mei Zhen that evening.

He couldn't look at his daughter's pulled down face.

"I just wanted to take a break. I didn't manage to sleep very well yesterday. I will be back in the office tomorrow," she replied with a small smile.

"No, tomorrow you have to come with me to Beijing. You and I haven't managed to talk since last week about work. We have been approached by the Para Hotel management there. As you may know, they are one of the oldest family owned multi-hotel chain in Beijing. They seem to be cash crunched and are looking for partners. We have been invited for a round of talks. While I do the talking and looking at their accounts, I want you to get a feel of the place. You have always had the knack of getting a vibe of any place. So check out the culture and the practices that they follow. By the time, we would finish the survey, it would be time for Xie Tang to come back home. Till then, I have you exclusively with me, for a change," he said persuasively.

Mei Zhen welcomed it as the ideal plan to distract herself from going mad with unbridled frustration. She wasn't used to failure and that's all her marriage had been up until now. She told her father that she would be happy to take the trip with him.

Beijing

The hotel had an old worldly charm to it which Mei Zhen liked instantaneously. Father and daughter had decided to check-in separately since they didn't want to officially announce her arrival there. She spent the first half of the day acclimatizing herself with the layout of the place. The staff seemed cordial but slightly rushed at all times. Maybe they were short staffed at the moment. She decided to eat at their twenty four hour coffees shop during lunch.

Her enjoyment of the seafood soup was marred by the constant PDA at the table which was in her direct line of vision. The couple seemed to be similarly aged as hers but their behaviour was juvenile to say the least. Maybe her own lonely state was making her feel more irritated than the situation warranted. Irrespective, she hurriedly got through her lunch, ignoring the couple.

After spending rest of the day in some shopping in the nearby area, she came back to her room. The early morning flight and whole day's activities were making her crave for a sound sleep. She chatted with her father on the phone briefly, who was still engaged in the talks with the hotel's management.

A loud shout work her up from the deep slumber. Squinting her eyes at the bed side clock, she saw that it was midnight. Trying to understand the source of noise, she strained her ears.