Welcome Home, My Darling

The scene unfolded with romantic notes of the Wedding March floating throughout the large, magnificent hall. One might get the impression that they were about to witness a luxurious wedding between two prolific families, and they would be sorely mistaken.

The main event that was taking place here was, in fact, a blind date -- the most unexpected yet most extravagant to ever take place in G City. Not only was it sponsored by the leading TV station in the area, but also by the Xu Group, one of the most prominent conglomerate entities in the city. Only upper class socialites and noble young men with prolific backgrounds were allowed to participate, and to say that everyone in attendance was outstanding in some aspect would be no exaggeration. That being the case, all marriage-minded young people from various wealthy families had all scampered to secure an invitation to the affair. After all, it was the perfect opportunity to forge strong, lifelong alliances with other powerful people.

Mandy Su's brows furrowed as she fiddled with the gilded invitation in her hand. She was sitting in an obscure corner of the huge hall, looking on at the mingling socialites and curling her lips with some measure of disgust.

She had been here for barely five minutes and she already wanted to leave. It was also the weekend, and she hated having to waste her time in this place.

For her, activities such as this was no different from purchasing a piece of meat in the market. The people here would no doubt choose their partners based on their family's wealth and influence. Surely nobody here was expecting to find their true love.

'Whatever. I'm out of here.'

Mandy plucked her purse from behind her chair and was about to rise when she heard her phone beep. She took it out and opened the message she had received. Her eyes widened in shock, and she looked around like a thief caught red-handed. The text had come from her aunt, warning her not to leave until the whole blind date affair was over. Clearly, she had spies installed around this place.

"How come you're sitting all alone, Miss? Do you mind if I sit down?" This came in a somewhat sleazy tone from above Mandy.

"I--" She was about to say that yes, she damn well minded, but she barely had the words out before the speaker plopped himself on the seat next to her. She turned to find a man with a fat and leery face sporting an obscene grin directed at her.

"Hello there, Miss. My name is Victor Li, and YH Group belongs to my family." Victor was very much undaunted at the prospect of approaching her, and it showed. The truth was that he had been eyeing her for quite some time now, and he liked everything he had seen. He had a habit of dating sexy and beautiful women, but the pure and innocent ones would occasionally catch his interest. Well, whatever sort of girls they were, he was sure he only needed to drop his family business' name and they would come to him like moths to a flame.

"Ha ha..." Mandy smiled awkwardly and lowered her head, pretending to attend to something urgent on her phone. There was no way she would even entertain such a foppish man, and she hoped that her cold attitude would communicate her disinterest to him and make him leave instantly.

Unfortunately for her, her intentions all flew over Victor Li's head. On the contrary, he interpreted her smile as an invitation, and her aloofness as a way of playing hard to get. And who could blame him? By virtue of his identity, he was basically entitled to the belief that all women would be attracted to him. And so, emboldened by his own expectations, he reached out a hand grazed his fingers along she smooth thigh.

She had been forced to wear a short, off-the shoulder dress, which complimented her curves and accentuated her long, slender legs. Mandy was a natural beauty, with fair skin and delicate features, and a desirably figure to boot. If she hadn't been cowering in the corner, she would have earned the amorous attentions of the male population in this room.

Victor's hand started to move across her skin, further fanning the anger that was already burning inside her. She took a deep breath to calm herself, then pushed his pudgy and sweaty hand away.

"What's your name? How about we find a hotel, hmm?" He wasn't fazed at all. If anything, he seemed to like her brief spurt of aggression. The next thing he did was lean closer and put his hand on Mandy's shoulders, his eyes widening at the contact. She had soft, tender skin, and his mind was already picturing out countless explicit scenes with her flesh beneath his hands. He was itching to whisk her to somewhere private and make his fantasies into reality.

Mandy's eyes glinted with a cunning edge. It appeared that she wouldn't be able to get rid of this vile man through subtlety. The skin on her arms and legs were already breaking out in goose bumps over his touch, and she struggled to resist the urge to shiver in disgust. She picked up the glass of juice on the table in front of her and casually leaned against him, exhaling slightly. "Sure, we can go to the hotel. But not before you drink this."

No sooner had she finished speaking than she was tipping the glass into his mouth.

Victor's eyes lit up in excitement. Finally! It looked like she was pretty enthusiastic about his plans, too. He was eager to finish the drink as soon as possible and removed one hand from her shoulders to grab the glass for himself.

The next thing he knew, before he could even touch the glass, cold juice was already pouring down his chest. It soaked through his white shirt and slid down to his trousers like a stream, before soaking right through his crotch as well. He looked utterly ridiculous with the unexpected addition of orange juice to his gray and white ensemble.

Victor's face darkened and he shot up to his feet in rage. He was wearing something from the latest spring collection of Alman, and it had been on a limited edition. Now his clothes were completely ruined. "Who the hell do you think you are?" he roared at the woman as he flicked the liquid from his collar. "How dare you do this to me? Do you have any idea who I am? I am the successor of YH Group! You will meet your doom after insulting me!"

The commotion immediately became the focus of everyone's attention. Mandy looked up and down at her handiwork and sneered at Victor. "Let's just say that your pathetic attempts at flirtations end here. You scum, how dare you touch my thigh without my permission? I'm already doing you a favor by not kicking your ass here and now."

In the corner of her eye she could see that people were looking at her, and not far down the hall, two uniformed guards were striding toward her. That pulled her back to her senses. Oh no. She had forgotten that this was supposed to be an official event backed by the city big shots. Not to mention the fact that all kinds of media people were present to cover the blind date. She shouldn't have caused a scene. Her aunt would punish her if she found out!

Many quickly ducked and grabbed the invitation on the table, the one with her aunt's name written on it, and quickly walked to the nearest exit.

"Stop her! Hurry! She must have come here to make trouble. Don't let her get away!" Victor yelled at the guards. He would never let that girl slip away so easily. She had ruined his limited edition suit and his pride; he was determined to get even with her.

The entire hall instantly broke into chaos, which gave Mandy a chance to bolt it right out of there. In a hurry, she bumped against a table laden with drinks which, of course, resulted to glasses falling and shattering to the floor.

"Lady, stop!" As the sound of glass breaking echoed through the hall, the guards became certain that what Victor had said was true -- that woman had indeed sneaked inside to stir up some trouble. They ran after her in hot pursuit.

Mandy was not one to surrender so easily, and she quickened her pace as she dashed to the staircase. The two men were catching up to her. She ran to the elevator banks and pressed the buttons, waiting until one of the doors opened. Even if she were to produce an invitation and prove that she was no event crasher, the media would still surely publish the whole debacle and expose her. It would be humiliating.

With that thought in mind, she pivoted and made a beeline for the emergency exit on the right. She opened the door and bounded up the stairs without hesitation.

The men saw her disappear on the steps and they got to the stairwell just in time to catch a glimpse of the white dress she wore flitting over their heads.

Mandy didn't go too far; she only went one story above and pushed back into the main hall. This was somewhere between the 58th and 89th floors of the building, and it housed hotel room from corridor to corridor. She was planning to find a vacant guest room, or just any room with its door unlocked really, and go into hiding until she shook her pursuers off her scent.

Since the establishment belonged to the Xus, only the high-end and most exquisite could be seen on every surface. The floors were polished to perfection, shining so much that Mandy even managed to stare at her reflection as she moved forward. Fleeting as the vision was, she knew that she looked wide-eyed and flushed, truly an embarrassing sight that stuck like a sore thumb in the midst of her elegant surroundings. Her heels clacked loudly on the marble floor, and were sure to draw attention. They were also making it hard for her to move past. At this rate, the guards would be upon her in no time.

She paused and took off her heels in one swift motion, clutching them to her chest as she sprinted stealthily to the end of the corridor.

"We can't be sure which direction that woman ran off. We'd better search separately." This came from one of the guards. She had barely tucked herself into a small alcove past the corner of the corridor when they had emerged from the emergency exit.

"Okay, copy that," the other man answered.

It was followed by the sound of footsteps, and Mandy instinctively shrank back into her hiding place. It was then that she realized she was actually nestled in the doorway of one of the hotel rooms. She turned back to the corner as the footfalls neared. The moment one of the men rounded that corner, she would be done for. She gritted her teeth and made a decision, then turned to the door and knocked. She didn't have any choice other than to seek refuge inside, so she hoped that the occupying guest would at least let her in.

The door opened just a crack, and she was faced by a broad, manly chest covered in a gray shirt. She didn't have the time to look up at his face, and without further ado, she pushed past him and into the room. She was about to shut the door behind her when the hotel guest put a foot forward and blocked the doorway.

One of the guards had already reached the corner, and she could hear as he approached the room she had just barged into. Desperate, she went with the first idea that popped into mind and threw her heels aside before jumping the man next to her, pressing him against the wall. She found that he was much taller than she had originally thought -- the top of her head didn't even reach his shoulders. She finally looked up, only to drown into his deep, cold eyes.

Mandy could honestly say that his was the most handsome face she had ever laid her eyes on. The irrational part of her brain even wondered briefly if he was a sculpture. He had thick, prominent brows and a high, regal nose. His thin lips were slightly curved upward, which, paired with his aloof gaze, made him sexy and alluring in some dark way.

Heart hammering furiously inside her chest, and the look in his eyes told her that he was well aware of the fact. The sound of footsteps outside suddenly seemed so far away.

"Who..." the man began, frowning at his unexpected caller.

His voice pulled Mandy back to her senses, and all at once she was certain that one, this man was about to interrogate her and two, the guard was already getting very close. If the guard somehow heard a guest questioning a stranger, it would immediately lead him to her. She couldn't let that happen.

And so, she took a deep breath, stood on her tiptoes, and put her arms around the man's neck. In the next instant, her lips were firmly covering his mouth, blocking out the rest of his question.

He froze and narrowed his dark eyes at this shameless woman who had just thrown herself at him. He reached out to push her away, but she also pulled her face back, then shot him a look of quiet plea. His hands paused mid-air.

At this point, the guard was right outside the room. He had noticed that the door had been left somewhat ajar, and he stopped to check. The scene that greeted him was a couple kissing against the wall. From where he stood, he couldn't clearly make out Mandy's clothes, and since she was small, the man's tall figure was effectively shielding her from sight.

The guard quickly brushed them off and carried on with his search, oblivious to the fact that his target had been right under his nose.

As the footsteps faded into the distance, Mandy's nerves finally eased up. She slowly broke free from the kiss and turned her face away.

"I want an explanation." That quickly brought her gaze back to his face. His voice was low and cold, but was strangely magnetic, like short bass notes of a cello in the middle of an orchestral performance.

"Sorry, I..." She let go of her hold on his neck and took a step back. She was still arranging her thoughts inside her head to explain her situation, but then the footsteps came again. She recognized them, it was the same guard. And he was headed back to the room. All her anxiety resurfaced in a panic.

Once again, she pounced on the man, like a starving wolf would a helpless rabbit, and pushed him back to the wall. Her slender arms snaked around his shoulders in a familiar embrace as she put all her weight against him.

Interest was rapidly swirling inside the man's head. He might be the new president of Xu Group, but never in his life had he imagined that he would be jumped by some unknown woman twice in the span of a few minutes. And inside his own building, no less! Of course, she would have had no hope of accomplishing either deeds if he had not allowed it. It had been obvious to him, though, that she was being chased by those men outside, and he found to his surprise that he was rather glad to do her a favor.

The footsteps drew close again, but this time it didn't stop outside the door. Instead it carried on with its pace until it reached the other end of the corridor.

"I didn't find her. Maybe she went upstairs again. Let's go check the next floor." It seemed like her pursuers had reunited.

"I haven't found her either. Come on, let's go upstairs." Soon enough, the sound of footsteps faded entirely, and the whole floor returned to silence.

Mandy knew then that she was finally out of danger. She would have sighed her relief, but she realized that her mouth was still locked on that of the gorgeous man before her.

She had been too distracted by her escape that she had not paid any attention to the kiss on both times. Now that she let her fears go, however, everything else invaded her senses: the soft texture of his lips, the faint musk coming from his skin, his broad shoulders. The whole situation finally sank in, and she pulled back, her face red with embarrassment.

Anyone would think that Mandy was forcing herself on the man.

Mandy took a deep breath and tried to let go of the man, who she had trapped against the wall. But just as she moved backward, she felt a strong grip around her waist. The man turned Mandy around and pressed her against the wall.

"Sir, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to insult you. I am one of the guests who had come to attend the blind date downstairs, but a man took advantage of me. I poured juice on him and ran away. The security guards were chasing me, so I had no choice but to barge into your room." Mandy's face flushed with embarrassment. She had used the man to escape from the guards. Her sudden entry would have freaked him out, so Mandy felt that he deserved an explanation and apology.

"Your name?" The man arched an eyebrow and stared into her eyes.

Mandy closed her eyes and heaved a sigh of relief. "Err... I am..." But before she could introduce herself, a muffled voice from the room interrupted her.

"Rob, can you get my clothes? I forgot to take them." The mellow voice accompanied by the splashing of water was pleasing to the ears.

Mandy's eyes widened. She followed the voice and saw a tall figure through the frosted glass window of the bathroom. The man seemed stronger than the guy who was leaning against her.

Mandy's gaze flitted back to the man who was eyeing her with curiosity. She realized that his hair was messy, and his shirt was unbuttoned, revealing his chiseled chest. He was easily the most handsome man Mandy had seen in her life.

She swallowed loudly as realization crossed her face. Two men were alone in a room, while one was taking a shower and the other looked messy as if he had been rolling on the bed. Mandy sized the man up before her gaze flicked to the man in the bathroom. Her face reddened with embarrassment as she realized that she had interrupted them while they were having sex.

"Gosh, I'm sorry for disturbing you. You guys carry on with whatever you were doing..." Mandy wriggled out of his hold, grabbed her purse, and smiled at him before darting out of the room.

A frown slipped on the man's face. He couldn't fathom why the woman had run away without answering his question. It never occurred to him that Mandy had assumed that he was gay.

G City was a busy place, bustling with people at all times.

The most popular place in G City was the snack street on Yuexiu Road. One could find every kind of restaurant and food stall there. The street got busier at night, for people from different walks of life came there to have fun. Ronghua Street was yet another famous spot that housed high-end restaurants and bars for both inhabitants and tourists.

The place gave a taste of the food and lifestyle of the people there.

One of the most popular restaurant at Ronghua street was a barbecue stall called "Good-looking".

Mandy was standing in front of a plain-looking building, wondering why people were raving about a simple stall. A crowd of women had lined in front of the stall that extended till the shop next door.

Just as Mandy walked up to a woman to inquire about what was going on, her phone rang. She checked the caller ID and realized that it was her best friend, Jean.

"Hello, Jean. I am at the barbecue stall, but there is a long queue outside. Shall we go somewhere else?" Mandy frowned as she glanced at the never-ending line of girls. She didn't want to waste all her time waiting outside.

"I'm already inside. Come to table 128," Jean chirped excitedly.

"Okay." Mandy hung up the call and walked into the stall. The envious gaze of all the women made her scalp tingle.

Everything about the place seemed unusual. She had never been to a restaurant that only had female diners.

"Miss, what's your table number?" A deep resonant voice of a man interrupted Mandy's wild imagination.

She turned around and saw a handsome boy smiling at her.

"Err... table 128." Mandy slipped into a trance before she quickly shook her head and examined the place. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she seemed to finally get the answers to all her questions.

Every waiter and attender in the restaurant looked incredibly handsome. No wonder women chose this restaurant.

"This way, please." The man waved his hand and politely ushered her to the table.

Mandy followed the waiter and saw Jean sitting by the window, staring at all the handsome waiters with a coy smile on her face.

"Miss, this is your table." The waiter smiled and pulled out a chair for Mandy to sit.

"Thank you." She smiled at him. The place seemed like the perfect hangout spot for women. It was like a dreamland that had all the good-looking and chivalrous men in one place.

Once the waiters left, Mandy looked at Jean and giggled. "Are you interested in the handsome waiter who took our order now?"

"No, not just him. I am interested in all the men here. Oh! My! God! I mean, look at them. I think they have hired all the handsome men in G City. You can find all kinds of men here. This place is incredible, isn't it?" Jean sighed dreamily.

Mandy scanned the room and felt that Jean was right. Everyone looked handsome in their own way. She finally understood why the stall had such a strange name. Moreover, the waiters were dressed in casual wear instead of uniform, which made the women feel like they were in a party that was full of handsome men.

"God! I am annoyed." Mandy drank the lemon ice tea in one big gulp and sighed. "This is not enough. Let's order some wine."