Chapter 1 - 'Nothing' That Lasts Forever
Chapter 1 – ‘Nothing’ That Lasts Forever
Nothing lasts forever…
Raelle had engraved this statement not only on the deepest part of her heart but also on her soul. Whether it be anger, hatred, sadness, happiness, or love. None of these emotions could affect you forever. Every emotion tends to wane in the current of time.
And since nothing was believed to last forever, Raelle resolved to be content with 'Nothing'. Because as long as she felt nothing, these vain emotions couldn't shake the harmony of her life. Human emotions had always been too difficult to understand for her brain.
She had seen people destroying each other in the name of love, jealousy, hatred. She had seen people stuck in the endless cycle of revenge. All of this was considered counterproductive to her.
Even though she never understood any of it, every nerve, every sinew, every thought of hers was hell-bent on the sole purpose of finding that 'Nothing' that would last forever. Because in her opinion, emotions would only make a person impulsive and then people would become slaves to their own emotions.
However, this simple logic was something she couldn't make her grandfather understand. While her grandfather strongly believed that her lack of emotions was keeping her from enjoying life to the fullest, she didn't agree. She didn't believe in things she couldn't explain with reason; just like emotions that went beyond the logic one's brain could comprehend.
Nonetheless, she could never bring herself to hurt her grandfather or go against his words. And that was the reason, she was sitting in this cafe with her new blind date.
Seriously, she had even lost the count of how many times she had come to such blind dates. This was supposedly a never-ending cycle. She was tired of it but apparently, her grandfather definitely wasn't tired of arranging such meetings.
She blinked her black peach blossom eyes at the man sitting before her with a smile plastered on her naturally red lips. Her eyes were charming with rows of thick, long, curly eyelashes that looked like densely packed black feathers of top-quality. Whenever she blinked, they seemed to flutter like butterfly wings — alluringly, making one's heart itch.
She elegantly picked up the glass of water before her to take a sip. The remnants of water stuck on her soft red lips making them look like rose petals being caressed by the dewdrops.
Unbeknownst to her, each and every gesture of hers was making someone's heartbeat quicken. Although Mr. Blind date only came here under the pressure of his family, he was now entranced. The girl before him had a beguiling face, her smooth jade-like skin, and her sharp features gave her a tempting vibe.
He really couldn't bring himself to look away. He opened his mouth to introduce himself, "I'm…" But before he could continue, the girl before him slid a document towards him. His brows furrowed up as he looked at her inquisitively, "This is…?"
Raelle's lips curled into a beautiful arc as she answered, "I heard Mr. Zhang wants to spread his wings and venture into the field of Augmented and Virtual Reality. However, your family isn't very supportive of your ambitions."
Mr. Blind date or Mr. Zhang whatever you'd like to call him, squinted his eyes at her, "Your point is?"
"I'm willing to be the supporter you need to spread your wings and soar high in the sky," was her carefree response but her tone was very determined. She definitely wasn't fooling around. Although her lips had a smile playing on them, her eyes left no room for argument.
Something flickered through Mr. Zhang's eyes as he said, "There is no such thing as free meal… And I don't think there is anything I can offer Miss Xiang."
Raelle crossed her one leg over the other as she leaned back in her chair, "I don't have the habit of making deals that aren't beneficial to me. As it so happens, there is something you can offer me in return." She took a brief pause and just as the smile on her face widened, she went on, "You just have to tell my grandfather that we are not compatible with each other."
Doubt flashed through Mr. Zhang's eyes or maybe it was disbelief. The girl before his eyes was offering him his biggest dream and only wanted him to say one thing to her grandfather? What game was she playing? He really couldn't understand.
Seeing his hesitation, Raelle sighed out, "You can read the contract. I definitely won't go back on my words."
Mr. Zhang had just picked up the document when in a blink of an eye, someone splashed the glass of orange juice before him onto the face of the girl sitting opposite him. By the time he came back to his senses, he was being pulled out of his chair.
"You shameless little witch! How dare you try to seduce my boyfriend with this bewitching face of yours?!" The woman shrieked like a madwoman. "Just because you're rich doesn't mean you can steal my boyfriend from me."
Unlike what one would expect, Raelle was rather calm in this situation as she took a napkin and dabbed her face. She even looked at this pair of lovers as if she was looking at something very amusing.
But her gaze made Mr. Zhang feel unsettled so he tried to pull the madwoman back saying, "Xinxin, stop causing trouble!"
"I'm causing trouble?" the woman was enraged. "We have been together for years and yet I am not allowed to stop this? What right does she have to come out of nowhere and steal my love just because she has power and money? Are those the only things important in life? Does my love and sacrifices for you amount to nothing?" Tears had trickled down the woman's supple cheeks as she cried her heart out miserably.
Raelle yawned lazily and stood up at a languid pace. Her eyes settled on this pair of lovers and she spoke in a calm voice, "Ms. Whoever-you-are, you asked a question, let me give you the answer…" Her voice got dangerously low as she continued, "Love and sacrifices, people only use these terms to shackle others. To imprison them in the cage of guilt in the name of love." She raised her hand and the woman cowered back and hid in her boyfriend's arms. However, Raelle only raised her hand to snatch the contract documents from Mr. Zhang's hands as she concluded, "Now, let me prove to you what money and power can do. Trust me, it'll bring an even magical result than your so-called love and sacrifice."