Clinks of glasses. Grumbles. Hushed murmurs. The smell of roasted potatoes. Buttery, garlic-y, and a touch overcooked. Like a stressed school friend circle hanging out for the first time together while not studying, an air of awkwardness filled the party’s atmosphere as executives spent time together for the first time in months outside of the boardroom.
The subtleties of the executives and their hidden animosity, while not unnoticed by Jiang Jinlong, was also not of particular concern to him. He picked up a glass of champagne, passed on the food, and began walking around the room. He stopped by each executive and raised his glass. Each time, he’d smile; yet, each time, the smile would stop halfway up his face, as if unable to surmount gravity’s ever-constant pull.
“A toast?”
Clink.
““To everlasting success.””
Sip.
He moved around the room like a wraith, smooth on his feet, coming and going with a haughty smile. Once he had completed a full circuit around the room, he stepped to the floor to ceiling window.
He stood with one hand behind his back while overlooking the city streets below. The morning sun cast a glimmering glow on the cars below. He sighed, took one sip from his glass, and fell silent once more.
“I always wondered how it felt to be on top of the world,” Jiang Jinlong murmured to himself. He traced his thumb along the glass’s side. “And what a great feeling it is.”
As he spoke, an ethereal golden dragon appeared behind him, coiling as an invisible pressure burst out in a shockwave with him as the epicenter. The world, for a second, seemed to shake. His eyes darkened, and the sounds of the party faded.
The dragon, expanding in size, seemed to curl around the building protecting its treasure hoard, the Q4 profits of the company.
The world doesn’t deserve me.
But I deserve the world.
---
Unbeknownst to Jiang Jinlong and his golden dragon. Du Ruolin had taken the party as a chance to clean her boss’s office. Clean out that is. She just was taking a creative interpretation of her boss’s misogynistic comment.
As she reorganized his files, dusted off his bookshelves, and put away the meeting notes, she took the chance to take pictures of every valuable business document she could find—including their proposed offer for the upcoming deal they’d be fighting for.
Click.
Click.
Click.
She worked in the dim lighting of Jiang Jinlong’s office. One ornate with mahogany furniture. The wood, she felt, had long been saturated with the smell of his snake-like cologne.
“And... that should be enough...” Du Ruolin murmured to herself. Wrinkling her nose as she closed the binder, she paused after the sound of paper rustling faded. After making sure no one had come close, she shelved away the binder once more like the good secretary she was.
Once in place, she ran a finger along the binder’s spine, then in a quick horizontal swipe. Confident the binder had no signs of tampering, she slipped her phone into her bag and took out another, the company phone before walking back out into the common area.
She scanned the room.
Nodding to a couple executives, she searched for Jiang Jinlong, only to pause as she found him standing by the window. She took a half-step back and raised her hand to shield her eyes. “He... has... such aura? What kind of power is this? He’s just standing by the window?”
Her knees bent, as she steadied herself.
Jiang Jinlong turned, and within a second, the overwhelming pressure disappeared from Du Ruolin’s shoulders.
“Ah... sorry, did I get you?” Jiang Jinlong walked up to Du Ruolin. “I was... lost in my thoughts. And, you know how it is, sometimes... my presence just leaks out.”
“Y... Yes, yes, of course,” Du Ruolin bowed her head, unwilling to meet Jiang Jinlong’s eyes. “I wanted to check-in with you, as you know I have to head out early today.”
“Of course, yes, thank you so much for your help this year,” Jiang Jinlong reached out, patting Du Ruolin on the shoulder. “You’ve been by my side all year, no one knows me better. What are you heading out for again?”
“Doctor’s appointment,” Du Ruolin fidgeted with her hand behind Jiang Jinlong’s back. A bead of sweat traveled down her temple as she forced out a white lie.
“Oh, wow, I hope everything is alright?” Jiang Jinlong’s expression morphed into one of concern within a split second. He wrapped an arm around Du Ruolin’s waist. “Let me walk you to the parking lot then, at least. Want me to drive you to your appointment?”
“Nonono, there’s absolutely no need,” Du Ruolin took a step back. Turning towards the elevator she tried to nudge Jiang Jinlong’s hand off her waist. Her subtle attempt though, was like trying to use a wet wipe to detach welded iron, and his hand didn’t budge.
“It is truly nothing, let me accompany you,” Jiang Jinlong smiled, walking along with Du Ruolin. As they walked towards the elevator, he waved down a nearby intern secretary under a different executive. “Hey, hey! Who are you?”
“Kong Shihan, sir!” The young woman flashed a wide smile. “How can I help you?”
“If anyone asks, please let them know that I’m going to be walking Secretary Du to her car, I’ll be back in a couple minutes,” Jiang Jinlong ordered. As Kong Shihan opened her mouth to reply, he walked off, guiding Du Ruolin along with him by the waist.
With their figures disappearing into the elevator, Kong Shihan turned on her heel and walked further into the office. As she did, she tapped her chin as she walked. “I wonder if they’re dating...”
---
“Cut! That was very good!” Feng Wei clapped his hands. After waving over Liu Fangjie, he flipped through his clipboard to a reference sheet for Kong Shihan. “Okay, I like your interpretation of the character. Your character will develop throughout the show, so while this first-impression scene is good, for these other early scenes, play up a more carefree persona a little, thoughts? I want to build a contrast between your intern character and Liu Xiaoli’s.”
“I totally agree, Director,” Liu Fangjie answered. Her answer though, trailed off as her eyes left the clipboard. She, instead, looked towards the elevator doors sliding open once more.
She, however, wasn’t the only actress on set looking towards the elevator doors. As they slid open to reveal Chu Changfeng and Xia Ruyun, Li Feiling’s eyes leapt over, scraping over Chu Changfeng.
“Ah, made the trip upstairs?” Chu Changfeng found Li Feiling glare within a second. “Didn’t think you’d come by. What an honor to have my acting watched by the prestigious movie queen. Fitting that a queen would come and watch her king.”
“Yeah, yeah, shut your insect-like mouth up and go sniff some trash instead of talking to me. Or maybe you already do. Because your breath certainly smells like you have been,” Li Feiling rolled her eyes as she walked up to the two of them. “Though intelligence like yours, maybe trash would think it’s being demeaned if you showed up.”
“Ah, such a vibrant tongue as always,” Chu Changfeng crossed his arms. “You have such a way of expressing your affection, Feiling.”
“I really don’t,” Li Feiling clicked her tongue before she turned to Xia Ruyun. Her eyes softened like chocolate melting, and in an instant, a hundred messages seemed to pass between them.
Like long lost lov-... friends who hadn’t seen each other in ages.
Together, they walked away from Chu Changfeng and his obnoxiously greasy ass. Yet, while their footsteps synced, their hearts did not. Li Feiling felt her hands clam up as she found herself, in a rare moment, at a loss for words.
“Thank you for coming to see me,” Xia Ruyun broke the ice with a gentle smile. “It’s... also quite entertaining to see that side of you. I’ve only seen it online, never truly in person.”
“It’s because Chu Changfeng is the perfect punching bag. Infinite possibilities and paths to insult him. Infinite ego to pummel, and he just keeps coming back for more. You’d think he was into it or something,” Li Feiling chuckled before her mouth slammed shut once more.
And as she searched for her words, she bit her bottom lip.
Self-conscious.
For the first time in decades, Li Feiling felt self-conscious.
Why did I make that sex joke? Why did I go so overboard with the insults?
What was I thinking?
What if she thinks I’m crude?