Wei liked his new house. This was his first time setting up everything from scratch and he wanted it to be perfect. The target tonight was to put up stuff in the den, which happened to be his favourite place in the house. He had already installed a large screen and the usual bells & whistles attached to it.

Clad in a pair of comfortable pyjamas, he poured himself a gla.s.s of vintage Cabernet Sauvignon. Picking up his wine gla.s.s, he went to his bedroom to bring out the box, the contents of which were precious to him like nothing else. Savouring the subtle flavours of this layered but subtle drink, he preferred it to the milder Pinot Noir. He called this a thinking person's wine. Upon reaching the den, he put the box down and searched for his phone to put on his favourite song from the playlist.

Gwen Stefani's voice spilled into the room with the song, Don't Speak.

You and me, We used to be together

Every day together always

I really feel

That I'm losing my best friend

I can't believe

This could be the end

It looks as though you're letting go

And if it's real

Well I don't want to know

Don't speak

I know just what you're saying

So please stop explaining

Don't tell me 'cause it hurts

Don't speak

I know what you're thinking

I don't need your reasons

Don't tell me 'cause it hurts (no, no, no)

Don't speak

Wei's hands trembled slightly as he soaked in the song's lyrics. Up until this day, he had appreciated the song for its poignance and melody but today, the words struck a bit too deeply.

Lifting the lid, he brought out the contents of the box and sat down on the carpeted floor with them. Jia Li's bewitching eyes stared at him through the photos in his hands. He had been collecting them for some time now. Few were clicked at Hainan Island, some were from the time when they had first started work at the Language inst.i.tute but the most precious was a picture of him along with Jia Li while walking on one of his favourite trails in Moganshan.

At the opening of the inst.i.tute, when Jia Li's friends had come down to celebrate, Li Jie had clicked this photo without either of them being aware of it. Returning from one of their customary walks, Jia Li's face had been pink with the cold air and exertion. She had been laughing at something he had told her but Wei couldn't remember what had he said to bring such animation on her face at the time. Their faces had been turned towards each other and Wei could see his own delight reflected in her happiness.

He had never ended up showing this particular picture to Jia Li.

"She will see it one day, see it and realise that this is how it is meant to be!" He choked back the emotion which was threatening to spill out of him.

Next morning at Hyde Park, London

"How was your trip? Did your precious minerals in Tunis soothe your soul?" Eric asked Hui at the office, next morning.

Shaking his head, he replied, "It would have been perfect, had it not been for that spy sent by those corporates. Tell me you managed to dig out something suspicious about her."

Eric grinned at his boss and his closest friend's militant expression, "I have found no information which indicates that she is anything except who she claims to be. In fact her life seems to be quite an emotional rollercoaster till date."

"Stop right there. I have zero interest in finding out about her life's history. If you say that she isn't who I thought her to be, then the chapter is closed. Now if I am not needed here, I want to go back to my lab and do some work there. Coming to office is such a waste of time," he complained.

"Hold on. You don't get to leave so fast. We have to conduct a few interviews today. As we had discussed the last time, you need an executive a.s.sistant. I had asked the HR manager to shortlist a few candidates. They will be arriving shortly. Let's take a look at their files till then," he informed Hui.

Hui groaned and said, "why don't you do the next round. Whosoever you finally select, I will meet that person, I promise."

"You are only delaying the process. Why do two rounds of interviews when we can finish the matter in one. Since he/she would be your a.s.sistant, don't you think you should invest a little more time and energy in getting the right person on board?" he tried to convince Hui.

Eric knew Hui could be very picky when it came to interacting with people, especially strangers and hence he wanted him to be involved in the selection process at this stage itself.