Hello, Mr Li: The Christmas Trip

The basketball court was lit with various streetlights around so even though it was late, they could still have fun. Reen had a lot on her mind so she had been spending quite some time here after classes everyday sometimes she stayed until it was late just like today. 

She couldn't understand why she still thought about Zichu after everything he had done. She tried to put herself in his shoes and wonder if she would have done the same but she couldn't give herself an answer. But one thing was certain, she would have done anything for Joreen even if it meant lying to save her sister. But does it make it okay? 

After bumping into him outside her house that day, she had returned an hour later and found the basket of chocolates outside. No one had arrived home so no one saw it there. She took the basket with her and hid it inside her room and it had remain there since then. Maybe because it was still there that was why she kept remembering him so she made a mental note to get rid of it once she returned home. As far as she was concerned, they were done. He had said he was leaving town and she doubted they were going to cross paths again. 

She was lost in her thought when she felt something hit her head. It was a ball. Thankfully, it wasn't a hard hit. 

Her head snapped to the back to see who had been dumb enough to throw it directly at her but she noticed a group of unfamiliar guys. 

She turned around to look at them and could literally see the cockiness in the way they sauntered inside the court like they owned the placed. 

"Time's up ladies." One of the boys announced loudly. 

Reen and the three girls who had been playing together did not move an inch. They stared at the four young guys like they were a bunch of idiots. They all looked like teenagers and looked pretty scrawny. The girls majored in basketball so they were quite tall which didn't make them feel intimidated by these guys who were probably the same height as them or an inch taller. 

"What are you glaring at? I said time is up!" The biggest guy among them who looked like he was their leader said to Reen who was at the front and made a show of hitting her but Reen didn't flinch so he just scoffed and put his hand down. 

"Who threw the ball at me?" She asked quietly. 

The boys laughed and kept saying some nonsense among themselves to mock her for acting tough. 

"Who threw it?!" She asked in a demanding voice this time. 

"It's me. Why? What are you going to do about it?" One of the guys stood in front of her, he sneered and puffed his chest up, trying to make her feel intimidated. 

Reen picked the ball and threw it right at his face at the same time he was saying she looked familiar. 

He swallowed the rest of his words and wailed from the pain. When he touched his nose his hands shook when he saw blood and the next thing, the court was in a state of pandemonium as they all fought against each other. 

This was the scene Mr Ping met. 

Even as an adult, he knew how difficult it was to stop two children or adolescents from fighting, talk more of a bunch of teenagers. His head was beginning to hurt as he thought about what to do since he was literally the only adult in sight, especially when he saw his younger brother in the middle of all the mess and wait... is that... Reen? His eyes widened. What was she doing here? He could deduce the girls were fighting against the boys. If this got to the Luo family, his brother and his friends were dead meat. 

He ran to the court and yelled for them to keep it down but no one took note of him. His brain quickly thought of something and he took out his phone, searched for something and soon, a loud siren sound filled the court making all of them halt, with fear in their minds. 

He sighed in relief when he noticed he finally got their attention. 

"I already called the police. You all better start leaving before they get—" 

Immediately they heard the word 'police', they began to run out. When his bartered and guilty looking brother tried to run away, he pulled him by his shirt's collar and dragged him back. 

The next minute, it was just Mr Ping, his younger brother and a messy looking Reen standing there. 

"This idiot is your brother?" Reen asked Mr. Ping in belief. 

Ping Ryu finally remembered why Reen looked familiar. She was Joreen's older sister. Shit.

*****

Meanwhile, in another town, Han Yu kept pacing inside his room until he heard a knock on the door and opened it without bothering to check who was outside. 

The person he was hoping to see was standing there so he checked the hallway to be sure no one was around before he pulled her inside his room. 

"Did you do it?" Han Yu asked Mengli hopefully. 

Mengli looked nervous as she shook her head, "I... couldn't. She... didn't drink it." 

"WHAT?!" Yu barked. "You couldn't?" He looked disappointed while Mengli continued to look down. 

"There was no way I could force her. She would have suspected." She said defensively. 

"You are so stupid!" He hissed in frustration before pulling his hair. 

"Just a simple task and you couldn't do it because you are so stupid." He used his index finger to push her head. "And you expect me to fall for a dumb thing like you!" He spat out in anger. 

He had assured Mr Wen he would make Joreen 'ready' for him in the private room later. The plan was to get her drugged then once the girls leave there, Mr Wen would go in. Taking a drunk Joreen to Mr Wen's room would put all of then in trouble if Joreen decides to pursue the issue and they checked the CCTV. But in the private room, the girls could claim they left the room without Joreen because she said she wanted to stay there for a while. There were no CCTVs inside the private room so it would be her word against theirs. The perverted Mr. Wen was desperate so he had agreed to meet her in the private room since the Director had refused to 'offer' him Joreen no matter how much he had threatened him. 

But just a simple task, the girls failed woefully. How was he going to get a bigshot sponsor now? 

Mengli on the other hand was very angry that Joreen didn't fall for it.

She had her own plan to secretly take some pictures and leak it on the internet. Then, everyone would see who Joreen really was and she would no longer have the backing of CEO Li Hoy. In fact, she would have to leave the entertainment industry. But now, nothing worked for her. Even Han Yu was mad at her. 

With everyone being angry, Joreen slept peacefully that night. If there was one thing she learnt these past few years, it was to not trust anyone, talk more of accepting a drink from people.