While taking a sip of his coffee, Fred leaned against the sofa. "Have you dug out anything on him yet?"
"No. The President invited me to attend the 50th anniversary of the founding of No. 1 High School in October." Nathan threw the phone aside in frustration. He covered his face with his hands.
"President Jin, why are you doing this? Your rival in love is obviously no match for you, so why feel so depressed?" Fred added a dramatic flair by placing a hand on his forehead, teasing his boss.
"You can go to work now," Nathan said gruffly. Now that Fred knew about Nathan's feelings for Mandy, God knew how much jokes and teasing he'd suffer from the man. Nathan dropped down on his chair in anger, playing with a pen that was on his desk.
Fred shrugged, but before he left the office, he gave another dramatic sigh. "The love and hate in you young people confuse this old man." He pointed a finger to himself. "Good luck, my man!"
Nathan flung a pen towards Fred.
As if he knew this was going to happen, Fred turned around swiftly, grabbing the pen between his two fingers without being bothered.
Fred played with the pen, rolling his eyes. "You could throw the pen as randomly as you want, President Jin, but I do hope you're not that careless with your heart."
The pen was thrown in a perfect arc, landing right into the small container on the desk. Nathan rolled his eyes at the performance.
As for the Martial Arts performance, only a few people in City A could be a match for Fred. Nathan's Martial Arts had also been acquired from Fred. Because of this, Fred knew the man better than anyone else.
At the JR Hospital
During her lunch break, Mandy and Jamie sat in the office to discuss their dissertation. Mandy had felt jumpy recently, so her dissertation was not fully covered. Thanks to Jamie, who helped her to check it and pointed out every single mistake, she made.
Mandy was quickly revising her papers, line per line while listening to Jamie speak.
"Doctor Zhou, are you going to get a Ph.D.?" Jamie asked with a smile.
"Of course." Mandy hesitated for a while. During her university years, all she ever wanted was to receive her doctor's degree. After all, there was a gap between her bachelor's degree and Ph.D. When she had met Daniel, she had given up on the idea of enrolling in a Ph.D. program in England. Now that she thought about it, she felt a bit stupid about her decision.
"Go with me to sign up! Please? I might be the only one who'll sign up."
"Which school?"
"City A University."
Mandy nodded in agreement. Maybe this time, she could finally chase her dream as she wanted to in the first place.
"Doctor Zhou, you're incredibly smart. Why did you come back after finishing your doctor's degree in England?" Jamie asked casually, spinning the fountain pen in his fingers.
"At that time, I just wanted to come back." Mandy smiled, not finding in herself to tell him the real reason behind it. It wasn't necessary to bring up the past anyway.
"I see. Besides, the tuition is so expensive in Britain. It is better now that we're working."
"Father, promise me you won't get angry, okay? You have to listen to me." Mandy's face turned beet red as her eyes glanced from left to right, suddenly taking interest in her shoes.
"Okay, what is it?" Stanley looked at her with a smile.
"It's about Daniel." She paused. "I was hoping you'd forgive him... He did something unforgivable, but the Zhou Group didn't suffer any serious losses. Plus, he did this to our family because you had purchased the company of the Zhao Family fifteen years ago. He did it with good reason. His parents spiraled into depression and committed suicide. He lost his parents at such a young age. Dad, it is not good for us to keep retaliating against each other, especially at a man who already has nothing to lose."
Stanley shook his head, sighing. Sometimes, he hated the fact that his daughter was just too kind.
"I see, but, Mand, have you thought this through? Daniel might not be grateful for what you've done, and he isn't the kind and loving man you thought he was. He is dangerous and despicable. Do you really want to let him go?" He frowned, leaning back in his seat.
Mandy lowered her head and said softly, "Dad, I'm actually just here to ask for your opinion. I trust that you'll make a better final decision."
"Silly girl, I know. Give me some time. I need to think about it." Stanley smiled dotingly. He only had one daughter, so as a father, he couldn't help but feel protective over her. In fact, if she'd ask for the moon, he'd find a way to pick it from the skies.
"Thank you, Father." She leaned her head against his shoulder. She missed spending time with her dad.
Touching her hair gently, Stanley asked in a low voice, "Mand, tell me the truth. Who have you been living with recently?"
"Dad, I'm living with a colleague of mine. Please tell mom to not overthink things. I'm really not capable of doing the things she'd thought me doing." Mandy had been well prepared before she came here. She knew that her father would ask her the question her mother had been throwing at her ever since she had last seen her, so now, she was prepared with a better excuse.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Meeting You Was Fate