Hello, Mr Li: The Christmas Trip

"Why did you do that?!" Hoy barked at his mother. 

"Why did I do what?" She asked, looking flustered.

"Are you seriously asking me that right now? You fought with aunt Cixi!" 

"That disrespectful woman started it—"

"Mother!" 

His father Li Han, was sitting in a corner, staring at the two of them without trying to take anyone's side. He understood how his wife felt but she had gone too far. Even when he tried to stop her from saying more when the whole family was gathered, she ignored him and went on to have a verbal fight with Cixi. 

"You didn't have any right to do that! I am an adult and so is Joreen. Fighting in public is what you do now?" 

"Do not dare disrespect me. I am your mother." She chided angrily. "You think I wanted to fight with her? Was I the only one who saw the news and realise how much it is going to affect you?"

"I didn't ask you to fight for me!" He pointed out again. "You didn't only embarrass yourself but you embarrassed me, Joreen and her family."

"Then stay away from her!" She tutted before going to sit down on the bed. 

"Stay away from Luo Joreen. It's not like I do not like the girl, of course I do. Everyone knows that I adore that little angel. But with this rumour flying around, it is going to be difficult for you to find a really good suitor for yourself. People now think you are a pervert and pedophile."

"Are you even listening to me????" 

"What?" She asked challengingly with her hands resting in her hips. "You want to spend the rest of your life being a guardian to her and not looking for a partner? If that is the case, then I will speak with the family and let them know I do not want you to have anything to do with her anymore. Thank God she is a grown woman now. She can take care of herself—"

"Enough!" Her husband finally said, standing up and glaring at his wife. 

"Does he look like an adolescent that you are trying to control his life and what he does? Can't you see the one who was badly affected by the rumour is Joreen?"

"He was only helping her and got entangled in it!" She said in a defensive tone.

"Mother..." Hoy called in a calm but frustrated tone.

"The next time you do something like that again, I will never forgive you. And I am really hoping you are going to apologize for everything you did earlier." 

Having said his piece, he turned around and left the room. 

Mr Ping was already waiting outside for him so when he saw his boss already leaving, he followed closely behind him.

"How is she?" Hoy asked without stopping.

"Heard she's already alseep. I don't think she saw the news before it was taken down." Mr Ping assured him while trying to keep up with Hoy's strides. 

Hoy sighed in relief. He didn't want to imagine how she would react if she had seen something like that. 

"But... wouldn't it have been better if she knew?" Mr Ping asked thoughtfully. "I'm sure it's going to hurt her... but she is an adult and she is going to get into more scandals from now. Taking this down doesn't mean people are going to stop talking about it. Also, a lot of people from our agency has also seen it... I think things wouldn't be easy for her from now onwards." When Hoy stopped walking, he also stopped and kept his mouth shut.

Hoy turned to look at him and sighed, it wasn't as if he didn't know that. But his first instinct when he heard about it, was to take it down before Joreen saw it.

"It seems she is pissed at me. Seeing the news is probably going to make her angrier. I can't handle her moods." 

"Hooooo..." Mr Ping exclaimed with a grin and turned serious immediately Hoy glared daggers at him. "But... she said she likes you right? This would have been the perfect way for her to see what is going to happen if she got herself involved with you. Don't you think so?" 

"Are you crazy? Who said there's even a possibility of her involving herself with me?" Hoy eyed him. 

"Tsk! How can someone with an high IQ have a very low EQ. Everyone in the world should be like me instead. 50–50 balance."

"What are you muttering to yourself about?" Hoy asked suspiciously. He had the feeling Mr Ping was badmouthing him as usual. 

"Nothing." Ping denied and hurried his steps.

When both got to their floor, Hoy's eyes lingered in the door opposite theirs for a short moment before he entered his room, following Mr Ping who entered first. 

"Aish! I totally forgot about that girl because of those silly reporters." Mr Ping yelled at the top of his voice when he saw the cup he had received as a gift, on the table. 

Hoy completely ignored him and went to the bed. The couch was big enough so Mr Ping usually slept there.

That night, Hoy couldn't sleep. And it wasn't only because Mr Ping was sleep-cussing someone, but he had a lot on his mind. Plus, his mind was also occupied with trying to think of the person who was responsible for taking those pictures. What was the person's intention? To ruin him? To ruin Joreen? Or the person had a bigger plan of ruining the entire family? Whoever that person was, he was going to find him or her and teach the person a lesson before Changyu got the chance to meddle. 

When he turned to pick up his phone, he got the scare of his life when he saw Mr Ping, who was now wide awake, sitting on the couch, facing him. But Ping looked like he was lost in his thought because he was staring blankly. 

"Are you out of your mind? Why are you acting like a ghost by this time of the night." Hoy asked. 

"Night?" Mr Ping questioned, slightly confused. "It's morning already." 

'What?" 

Without the lights on, inside the ship was usually dark. Since the windows were all closed and the lights were turned off, leaving only the dim bedside lamp, he didn't know how it was outside. 

He picked up his phone and checked. True to Mr Pings words, it was already 6:06am. 

"You didn't get any sleep last night?" Mr Ping asked curiously. 

Hoy touched his forehead. His head was beginning to ache. Had this bothered him so much that he spent hours thinking about it until time flew by? Worse of all, he couldn't remember what he had been thinking about for so long, neither did he have the solution to any of the problems he was facing yet. 

"You should rest. You look tired and you have eyebags." Mr Ping said, sounding worried. 

"I am fine. Why do you look like that?" Hoy asked, trying to sound like he didn't care much. 

"Like how?" Mr Ping asked. 

"Like... that." Hoy pointed at him and heard his friend sigh. 

"I was just thinking." 

"Oh... you think?" Hoy asked sarcastically which made Ping Quincheng's eyes to widen. 

"Of course! How else do I do such a great job for you if I do not?"

"You only think properly when it involves work. The reason I haven't fired you yet." He confessed. 

"You are so mean."

"I hear that often." 

"So?"

"So....?"

"What is bothering you? The scandals?" 

"Of course not! Why would I look this worried because of what doesn't concern me?" Mr Ping asked before sighing again. "I got into a big trouble." 

"Who did you offend?"

"The universe." He said and looked like he was about to cry. 

"Are you going to make me understand or you want me to kick you out of here—" 

"I saw her in my dream." Ping interrupted.

"She was looking so beautiful.. so spotless... she was even smiling at me." He said, looking lost as he narrated. 

"Who?" Hoy asked in confusion. He didn't know he had a woman. 

"Someone. I think... I think... I have fallen in love." 

"I'm not interested in your love life. How did you get into trouble?" 

"I'ts related! She... is unattainable." He bagan to hit the right side of his chest. "I don't know why my heart chose to fall for someone like her. It hurts right here."

"Your heart is in the other side." Hoy pointed at the left side of his chest which made Mr Ping switch hands immediately. 

"If she is unattainable then forget about her."

He said, trying to sound like a concerned friend. 

"Do not tell anyone. I am only telling you this because I trust you and I believe you can knock some sense into my head." Mr Ping said in a very low voice before going to sit beside Hoy on the bed. 

Hoy narrowed his gaze to look at him and waited for him to reveal it. 

"She is married." 

"What?" 

Mr Ping nodded. "She is... your cousin's wife's—"

"WHAT Sara? Are you our of your damn mind?" 

"...Mother." He completed his sentence and pressed his lips in a thin line. 

It took Hoy two seconds to process it and for the first time, Mr Ping saw his boss's eyes looking as wide as saucers.