Not About Me
Not About Me
"Andy," he answered.
"Yeong, I want to speak with Yanmei," said Andrea.
"What for?" He curiously asked.
"Girl talk."
"Call her phone," he instructed.
"Well, she isn't answering," declared Andrea.
Since Anton was already at Yanmei's office floor, he let it be and asked Andrea to wait. The minute he entered the office, he handed the phone to Yanmei, who was still cramming to finish her work.
"Yeong, why are we going home early today - Who's that?" She asked while setting aside a pile of reports on her desk.
"Andy."
She grabbed his phone and answered, "Hey Andy. What's up? Oh? Really? Haha! I'm happy for you."
The ladies were discussing how Andrea finally made love with her husband for the first time since she had lost her memories. They both giggled as they resumed their chat.
Suddenly, their topic shifted to the kids and Andrea urged her to be on a conference call with her instead.
Andrea was at her husband's office, bringing along the twins. They had just come from the hospital, following the twins' regular vaccines, and decided to call Yanmei while waiting for Lu Fang. Of course, calling Yanmei was partly Lu Fang's suggestion.
"She wants us to see the twins," Yanmei told Anton as he rested on the chair in front of her desk.
Anton merely brushed her off, suggesting he did not want to be part of it.
Yanmei quickly switched to having a video call, but instead of Andrea, she was stunned to see Gao Rou, Lu Fang's childhood friend, holding little Brie, Andrea's daughter.
"Oh, wow!" she exclaimed.
She watched as Andrea put Chev, her other baby, in Gao Rou's other lap and resumed taking the video.
"Say hello to aunt Yanmei guys?" Said Andrea from behind her phone.
Yanmei's eyes grew wide watching Gao Rou carry both twins. Although with difficulty, he managed to secure the two in his strong arms. He was sitting on the couch from inside Lu Fang's office.
She giggled when Gao Rou lowered his face and the twins were practically slapping their hands on his face.
The sight tickled her, especially after the twins blabbered and laughed at Gao Rou's expression.
"Oh, my… Gao Rou is very good with the kids!" Exclaimed Yanmei. "Awwww… Brie likes you. It's so cute!"
Andrea quickly came into the view, seemingly peeking from the side. "Yes, he is. He is their godfather, after all. Say Hi, Gao Rou!"
"Hi Yanmei, nice to see you," greeted Gao Rou.
Anton's eyes tightened, hearing the name of Gao Rou. He quickly recalled how the same man used to call Yanmei frequently before they got together.
He abruptly reached for his phone and glared at Gao Rou and Andrea. He said, "This call is OVER!"
He ended the call without saying goodbye. Only then did he turn to Yanmei with his eyes narrowing. He said, "Did the sight of Gao Rou pleased you?"
Yanmei pouted her lips before answering, "It was more of the sight of the babies being adorable with Gao Rou. Besides, I had no idea he was there! Why are you mad?"
"I don't want you talking to Gao Rou, period!" He ordered, slamming his hand on the table.
Unfortunately for Anton, Lu Fang had other plans. He put Gao Rou in charge of communicating with Yanmei regarding the reports for Lu-Wei Enterprises. Technically, Yanmei was an employee of Lu Fang, and Anton was Lu Fang's investor.
While Anton had long planned for Yanmei to move to another entity, they were still in the process of finding a deserving replacement for her.
Even if Anton disliked the idea, he had no choice. Lu Fang was preparing for a wedding and could only rely on Gao Rou for the most part.
In the days that followed, Yanmei continued to converse with Gao Rou, in relation to work. However, it was because Gao Rou was genuinely attracted to Yanmei that he also made it a point to ask her personal questions.
One day, while Gao Rou was asking Yanmei about one of her reports, he said, "I am sharing your progress report to our managers here in China. They will be happy to know that you are applying the same techniques as they are... and with great success!"
"Yes, please also extend my gratitude to them, Gao Rou," said Yanmei, ready to bid goodbye.
Suddenly, there was an awkward silence and Gao Rou inserted to ask, "Yanmei, are you… happy with Andy's brother?"
Yanmei's mouth fell open. She did not expect this line of question. She stuttered at first but soon, she said, "Gao Rou, I'm not sure about what you mean but I am happy with him - "
"Can he give you everything that you want? Of course, let's not talk about money here. I'm talking about having a wonderful family, knowing Andy… your life will be constantly in danger," Gao Rou added. "I'm just… concerned that's all."
"Gao Rou, I respect you for being my co-worker and Lu Fang's brother, his best friend, but I would like it if you leave my personal life alone - and yes, Anton will give me everything I want, including a happy family, regardless of the obstacles we face, we will face them together."
She quickly ended the call saying, "I hope we don't discuss this again."
A second passed and only then did Gao Rou reply, "I'm sorry, Yanmei. You are right. Goodbye, and thank you for your time."
When Yanmei put down the phone. She stared blankly at her computer for seconds and her reaction was well noticed by Anton.
Anton did not want to, but as of recently, it irked him to learn about Gao Rou regularly speaking with his woman. He had long tapped Yanmei's phone, but mobile and in the office. Hearing their conversation made him clench his hand into a fist.
He also observed Yanmei from the camera inside her office and saw her in deep thought. He assumed she pondered on Gao Rou's words.
While he was relieved that Yanmei defended him, he began to take notice of Gao Rou, seriously seeing him as a rival, more than Sun Haneul. Especially since Gao Rou was a trusted friend of Lu Fang.
It was because of that eventful conversation between Yanmei and Gao Rou that Anton ordered all of his married managers, those with kids, for an interview with him. He announced to the management that he wanted to touch base with his employees… for the first time.
All the managers sat in front of a long table from inside the conference room, ready to prepare their speech. They were eager to boast about their achievements and the projects they have initiated as well as talk proudly about being a loyal employee of JKW Investments.
When Anton arrived, they all stood up, bowing their heads in respect to their president.
"Gentlemen, good afternoon. This meeting is very important, one that will decide your wallet's contents in the next 24-hours. Satisfy me with your answer and I will give you a special bonus to be given tomorrow," Announced Anton.
Junsu came with Anton with a puzzled expression. He knew not what the emergency meeting was for.
The room was silent for a minute as they all waited for their CEO to speak. After seeing the confident faces of his selected managers, Anton said, "Before we start, I want to make it clear that this is... not about me... This is a hypothetical question applicable to - to Junsu or to any of our executives."
He glared at the managers and only after getting their nods did he proceed. "Tell me about your children. Show their pictures. What makes having a child good for us... men in power?"
Everyone fell silent, unsure what was the purpose of the discussion, but because it was their president's directive that they all gave their piece. Half an hour passed and nearly all managers have spoken. Yet, Anton was still not satisfied. He did not find their children adorable, not one bit.
He concluded that Andrea's babies were more worthy of his presence.
He kept shaking his head the entire time until his PR manager, Mr. Park, shared, "Mr. Yeong. I don't like children. In fact, you will never find me adoring the children of others, but when my wife gave birth to our son, I saw myself in him. I experienced that connection between father and son."
"I used to think I could never be a good father, but I supposed when you see your own flesh and blood, you realize that love becomes natural between a parent and a child." Mr. Park laughed before he added, "Now, I spoil my son with my time and affection. I never knew I could be a dutiful father. I work harder than before so I could provide for him. My son inspires me to be better."
Anton tilted his head. He caressed his chin and leaned forward to squint at Mr. Park. He said, "Mr. Park, you will get the bonus, however, you better pray your answer is true for all of us!"
"Again... this is not about me."
Mr. Park nodded and said, "Right, Mr. Yeong. This will be our secret."
Anton slammed his hand on the table and repeated, "This is not about me! This is about Junsu!"
Turning to his assistant, he said, "Tell them Junsu!"
"Yes! Yes! Yes! This is about me!" Junsu quickly answered, knowing his life was on the line.