Eyes red and puffy. Lips dry and cracks in between. Hair's a mess, tangled here and there. Brown-hazel eyes staring back at her making her realize just how fast the night changes. Hours ago she came home thinking everything is fine and sorted but then boom, the bomb drops.

Happiness doesn't last long and she is now sure of it. Starting the faucet, she splashes the cold water on her bare face. Her eyes now feel less itchy than they were earlier. She has no mood of going anywhere, not even stepping out of the room. But she isn't the old girl, she has to face the reality instead of hiding in the corner of her room.

Taking the support of the faucet, gripping the edges tightly, she takes a deep breath and slowly tries to calm her mind and heart. She has to know that thinking about what happened last night won't solve anything but the thing that he lied to, yet again, she feels betrayed.

Minutes later, after she has taken and shower and is doing her makeup. She puts a thick layer of concealer below her eyes. God, the concealer feels weird because she never really applies them in large amounts. Eyeliner, eye shadow, all that to hide her tired eyes. Even though the puffiness is gone but her eyes are red still. Fuck it, no one's gonna notice anyway. She says to herself and applies the lip gloss on her lips.

Today she woke up early, she didn't sleep last night at all. She still has one and a half hours with her but she does not want to stay ideal. If she does nothing, her mind will automatically think about last night which she does not want to. Turning on her phone, she checks her inbox but her jaw flexes seeing texts from Zichen. He even called her but she didn't pick his call. Looking at his texts now, she feels angry. Stubbornly, she decides to delete all his messages without opening them. She does not want to ruin her makeup.

It was supposed to make her feel better but she is frustrated now. After sleeping with him, and then suddenly hating him, it's not easy. "What should I do?" she mumbles, dropping to her bed. Should she keep her distance as per her father's saying or should she not? She knows if she ignores his calls, texts for more than three days, he will show up demanding her absence and he will not care what the situation is. God, what should she even do?

**

She feels so sleepy and looking at the documents makes her eyelids heavy. She can't even ask for sleep, being the head of the company, she does not have that privilege.

Fang Xiao arrives knocking on the door. Shi Lian waves her hand without looking up.

"Are you sleepy, Miss Shi Lian?" she asks, amusement dancing in her eyes.

Shi Lian groans, "Yes, very. And thanks for obeying me." Fang Xiao grins and starts checking the schedule in the tabloid. For the past week, Shi Lian has been telling her to stop calling her Chairwoman but Fang Xiao was hesitant. She felt it would be impolite and she might get fired because of that. Shi Lian assured her nothing will happen. After Shi Lian's constant demands, she finally gave in. It feels somewhat unusual to say but she will get used to it.

"You have a hectic schedule today" Fang Xiao informs, giving her an apologetic smile. Shi Lian groans loudly and plops her head on the desk.

"Go on."

"Discussion with the authorities about the August collection at 10, meeting with Mr. Ming at 12:30, and we have to go and have look on the site at 2," she announces, glancing at Shi Lian through her glasses. "And there's also a party, you are invited. It's about the global cause. Many big figures are going to come."

Shi Lian cranes her head up to meet Fang Xiao's eyes and says, "Seriously? Cancel the party. I have no mood to go."

"But you have canceled three party invitations already in these two weeks. You aren't much familiar with the people in the business circle, so it will be beneficial for you to attend them often" Fang Xiao tries to make her understand.

Shi Lian makes a face. She never liked parties and fake smiling at the people for almost the whole night. "Fine. I'll think about it."

Fang Xiao smiles and asks if she needs a coffee. "I already had four cups of coffee.....but, oh well, I won't mind another. Make it strong please" Shi Lian says.

Nodding, she turns her heels and starts to leave but Shi Lian calls when she is midway. "Yes, Miss Shi Lian?"

"About JJ and Mr. Zheng Yi?"

"Oh, yes yes" she remembers and continues, walking up to her desk, "I couldn't get much information about it, but I heard they were discussing the company's resources and something about Hotel Grandiose."

Shi Lian is suddenly active and listens to her with her eyes and ears open. Fang Xiao says further, "When I went to inform him about the assessment, he agreed absently as he was so into the discussion with Mr. Mo. I stayed there, tried to listen to what they were discussing about Mr. CEO shooed me away. So I didn't know much about it."

Stroking her chin, Shi Lian wonders why they were talking about Hotel Grandiose? Were they talking about the Show? Her eyebrow crinkles the more she thinks about but no reasonable possibility comes to her mind.

"Are you okay?" her secretary asks. Shi Lian for one second forgot Xiaoxiao is here.

"Ah, yes. Thank you, Xiaoxiao."

"I'll get your coffee," she says and exits the room, shutting the door from her behind.

Three meetings. She does not have the energy to open her eyes properly, how is she going to attend the meeting? Well, she can't say anything to that, can she? She once used to think that those who have the power, like when her father was the Chairman, they can do whatever they want but she now realizes that it isn't true. They are like any other employee who has limited freedom but a little freedom and a better work area.

Her phone rings for the tenth time since the morning. She does not have to look to know that is. She knows it's Zichen. It irritates her, and her phone ringtone starts to budge her. It annoys her that if a person is not picking your calls, and you get the feeling that they are ignoring you, why do you even bother, pestering them again and again? She wants to say this on his face.

The ringtone stops and she sighs a heave of relief. Maybe he somehow heard what she is thinking.

Her phone beeps and no, he didn't hear anything. She unlocks her phone and she the text floating on the screen above. The text says:

PICK UP YOUR GODDAMN PHONE OR ELSE I AM COMING INSIDE YOUR COMPANY. RIGHT NOW.

The text gives her a shiver and she turns off her phone. He is so bossy! He said he will come to her company and if he does, she does not know what will happen then. Gritting her teeth, she dials his number. Within the first rings, he picks up. "Are you ignoring me?" he asks, the anger in his voice noticeable.

"Do you think I am? Then maybe I am" she replies coldly, rolling her eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes at me, Shi Lian. Why are you ignoring me?" he demands.

Shi Lian is about to roll her eyes again but stops. "Because I felt like" she replies.

He growls, getting annoyed by her cold and flat replies. "I thought everything is well....so what's wrong now?"

Shi Lian wants to say what a liar he is, that he never told anything true to her. She thinks whatever he said yesterday night was also a lie too. But she stops herself and takes a deep breath instead. "I am busy at the moment. If you don't have anything else to say, I am hanging up."

"Goddammit, what did I do now?" he growls, frustration clear in his voice. "You do this every time. You get angry hearing what others say without listening to anything from my side. Tell me what's wrong?"

Shi Lian grits her teeth reminding herself she cannot let her emotions get over her. "Everything is wrong!" But she fails. "You are a liar, Zichen. A fucking liar!"

"What are you saying?" he asks panicking.

She starts to feel choked again by her emotions. "You are a liar, a killer! You....you God! How can you be so ruthless?" she says, her voice loud and thick with emotion.

"Shi Lian, baby, what are you saying?" he asks, not even sure what is happening.

She bites her lower lip, her face etched with fury and tears stars rolling down her eyes. Fuck, her makeup is ruined now. "You never planned on telling me that you are a Gangster or that you are related to the Underworld?" she accuses.

There is silence and all she can hear is his ragged breathing and she gets her answer that whatever she saw and heard from her father are true.