A Gatekeeper & The Celestial Sovereign

In the Xiling hotel restaurant, beautiful piano music filled the air. Lee Heri sat opposite her latest admirer.

"Daniel, why did you bring me to a Hotel my Family owns so that you could treat me to dinner? You know I could just come here and eat for free if I wanted to right."

Daniel Xu that sat opposite her, sweated, "I didn't realise that your family owned it, I just saw the amazing 5 star ratings and reviews and I wanted you to eat the best food and I just took you here. If you'd like to go somewhere else, we can."

"It's fine, it doesn't matter. I'm sure any five-star restaurant or fancy hotel you take me to in Beijing will be connected to my family anyways. So, there's no point moving." She said lazily as she stared at her glass of wine.

"Ah I guess you're right, as the daughter of Lee Hi, the current head of the Hong group, one of the most influential families in Beijing, of course anywhere I take you to in the city will be influenced by your family." He laughed awkwardly.

Lee Heri was silent, she didn't say anything, only looking at her wine glass.

"Umm, y'know I'm-I'm just so happy that you agreed to go on a date with me tonight. When I asked you, I never thought you'd say yes.”? Daniel Xu stuttered, "Why did you say yes? I mean I'm nowhere close to you in status."

"You're not bad looking and I was bored" she said flippantly.

"Ah I see."

Lee Heri's gaze wandered around the room and then lit up as she saw two people she recognised.

….

Zhao Detong looked at his phone. "Mao Lu just texted me saying he's enroute. He and Chàng Bo were having so much fun hanging out that he lost track of time."

"Oolalala" Fei Bing Bing laughed, "It's so obvious that Mao Lu is interested in him. During the housewarming party he wouldn't stop glancing at him nonstop and it's obvious something is going on between those two."

Zhao Detong laughed, "I agree, I just hope they actually end up dating."

"You know what I'm curious about" Fei Bing Bing leaned forward, "I'm curious about Chàng Bo's relationship with his step sister Qi Zhou, and what kind of problem does he have that has led him to live with Mao Lu?"

"I think we're all curious about that, but if it's a private matter or a financial matter it's rude to pry." Detong cautioned.

"I know it would be rude to ask, but I can't help but be curious." Bing Bing pouted.

Just as she said this several Waiters came up to their table and added two more seats.

"Huh, Umm sorry we already have two seats for our friends that are coming, we don't need two more." Fei Bing Bing said.

One of the waiters bowed towards her "A V.I.P of the hotel said they're friends of yours and requested we put seats here."

"Huh?" Bing Bing and Zhao Detong both said in confusion.

At that point they heard, "The V.I.P they're talking about is me." said a silky voice. They looked up and saw Lee Heri in a body fitting red dress.

"Hi Detong, Bing Bing. It's been awhile. I haven't seen you both since High School graduation."

"Lee Heri!" They both gasped.

"You don't mind if my date and I sit, here do you?" she asked whilst she sat down, a blonde man sitting down next to her.

Zhao Detong's eyebrows twitched, usually you ask before you sit down not after.

Lee Heri smirked as she saw both of them staring at her, "What? It's not like I disturbed a little date of yours, I see there are two more seats, your friends are coming to join you soon, right? I'm sure with us it'll just be a bigger gathering now."

Fei Bing Bing scowled, "Heri you're not fucking welcome here. Shove off."

"Whoa that's rude of you, I thought we were friends Bing Bing." Lee Heri smiled.

"We were only friends because of your parent’s relation to mine, but I never liked you. Especially after what you did to Lu." Bing Bing hissed.

Lee Heri laughed, "Well that's harsh. Lu, you mean Zhang Lu. Wow I haven't heard that name in years...but did I do something to him. I don't recall doing anything to him."

"You don't recall you Witch. After his parents went bankrupt you spread rumours across the entire school. You turned everyone against him and made the last two years of Highschool for him a living hell!" Fei Bing Bing's eyes were filled with hate.

"Huh, that's not doing anything. They weren't rumours, they were facts. He became poor and lost everything, he no longer belonged in our school for the rich and entitled. It's not like I turned everyone in the school against him, they did it themselves." Lee Heri said calmly.

"Wow how do you say such shit with such a straight face? You, your family owns the Hong group, everyone in the school looked up to you. They followed your words like a religion. One word from you and everyone was looking down on Lu. One word from you and all the guys that ever liked you decided to give Lu hell even though he was already going through such a hard time at home!" Fei Bing Bing spat.

Lee Heri shrugged, "So what, all I wanted was more people to know that Lu became trash, that way my Dad would definitely break that stupid marriage agreement he made with Lu's Dad. It's not like I had something personal against Lu, I just didn't want my life to be dictated, and if I could get out of an arranged marriage like that, I would. Don't be so mad about old stuff Bing Bing."

"You!" Bing Bing yelled, she wanted to pounce on her, but Zhao Detong held up his hand to stop her.

"Lee Heri, as pleasant as it is to see you. I suggest that you leave since we are having dinner tonight with Lu and his friend, and I really don't think he'd like to see you." Zhao Detong said coldly.

"Oh, Lu's coming." Her eyes lit up in joy. "Then that's more reason to stay. Lu's the only man I've ever been able to have a stimulating conversation with. I was so bored earlier, hearing that he's coming just made me a lot more excited."

Fei Bing Bing scowled, "Do you not get the hint, he's telling you to get lost!"

Lee Heri smiled widely, "Do you think I should get lost too Zhang Lu?"

They all looked in the direction Lee Heri was looking at, and they saw Mao Lu and Chàng Bo.

Mao Lu walked up to the seat next Zhao Detong and sat down, Chàng Bo sat down beside him, in-between Mao Lu and Lee Heri.

"Well it's a surprise to see you but I have no grudges against you Lee Heri. I don't care whether she stays or leaves. We're adults, we should keep the childish drama in the past." Mao Lu said as he glanced at Lee Heri.

"But Lu this bitch-" Bing Bing shouted.

"Just leave it alone Bing Bing." interrupted Zhao Detong.

Fei Bing Bing scowled and glared at Lee Heri but didn't say anything.

Lee Heri grinned at her.

"So how have you been Zhang Lu? You look very handsome; your beauty has increased so much since I last saw you. I guess you blossomed with all the hardship." She grinned at Mao Lu.

A waiter offered Mao Lu a glass of wine, he took it, thanking the waiter. He drank a little from it before slowly replying, "Well you could say that. Oh, and by the way I don't go by Zhang Lu anymore, I go by Mao Lu."

"Oh, you changed your name, how comes?" Lee Heri asked curiously.

"After I was practically orphaned it was better to change my name so I could avoid some gangster debt collectors, and there were a few other reasons. But I'm sure you don't want to hear about all that." Mao Lu replied plainly.

"Wow your parents died, you have my condolences Lu I had no idea." Lee Heri was kind of shocked, she remembered Lu's parents. Ever since they went bankrupt, she completely disregarded the Zhang family, but that hadn't meant she'd wished them dead.

"Only my Mother is dead...and my Father is elsewhere. You don't need to give me your pity Heri, it has been a very long time."

"Ah yes, that was disrespectful of me, I'll change the topic then." She looked at Chàng Bo, "Who's your handsome friend?" She asked flirtatiously.

Chàng Bo looked towards her, his eyes were filled with disgust, he released some of his aura.

Lee Heri suddenly felt like prey in the face of a predator, her heart raced, and she began to sweat. She felt like any second, he'd kill her. She hadn't felt this scared even when she'd been kidnapped for ransom and held at gunpoint as a child. She shivered and the playful smile she'd had on her face dropped.

"Apologise." he said coldly.

"Huh."

"You neither have the right or the power to speak to Mao Lu in the way and the tone that you just did. You're a pitiful little insect in the face of a higher being. So, apologise to him before you regret it."

"I-" Lee Heri wanted to argue, but she saw a dark gleam in his eyes. It was the same gleam some of her bodyguards had, the same gleam her father's hitmen had. This man had definitely killed people before and if she pushed him too far, he could easily kill her.

"I-I'm sorry Zhang ...no Mao Lu, that was rude of me to speak to you in that way after not seeing you in so long."

"Apology accepted" said Mao Lu coolly, he gently nudged Chàng Bo, muttering to him, "It's fine don't make her cry or something."

Chàng Bo just stared at her like she was an insect some more before releasing the pressure he had on her. The moment he moved his gaze away she gasped.

She'd heard before that veteran warriors or martial art masters could freeze someone and even kill someone with their gaze, but she'd never believed it before. Not until now.

"Heri are you okay?" Asked Daniel as he watched her shiver. "I'm fine." she breathed.

"Wow Mao Lu you keep some interesting company, where did you find him? He must be an expert or something. Is he a contract killer or was he in the army or something, actually considering how young he looks it's probably a contract killer right? He's definitely killed people before and he immobilised me just now with ease, he's even more skilled than some of my best guards. Say are you looking for a job?"

Chàng Bo was about to show her real pain, this mortal insect obviously didn't learn anything from earlier, but he was stopped by Mao Lu who held his arm.

"He's not looking for a job right now, and it's best you don't antagonise him Heri." said Mao Lu coldly,

Zhao Detong, Fei Bing Bing, and Daniel Xu were looking back and forth like they were watching a tennis match.

All Daniel had wanted was to have a nice and normal date with a girl he'd had a crush on, that was all. When he'd met Lee Heri at a College/University reunion he'd gathered the courage and asked her out, he didn't think it would turn out like this. So much drama. And he knew Lee Heri could be rather rude and many girls disliked her because she was a 'bitch’, but Daniel had found that charming. But now he felt embarrassed to be near her, and he couldn't understand why she was being so horrible. And now she was antagonising these people further.

Zhao Detong and Fei Bing Bing's brains whirred. Was Chàng Bo a contract killer or at least someone in a more criminal type of occupation? Mao Lu hadn't denied it, and now that they thought back on its Mao Lu hadn't told them anything important about Chàng Bo either, and he had seemed very cold and menacing just now.

Who is Chàng Bo?