Chapter 110 - Mr. Savior

To say that she was surprised would be an understatement when she saw who it was.

"Looks like Director Liang finally showed some interest in someone other than your lovely daughter." Reuben smirked at the man who was just inches away from Lina.

Lina watched as the man called Director Liang shook his head and his eyes went back to normal as if he had just regained his consciousness after a vicious and terrifying trance.

When he turned to face the intruder, his eyes met with Reuben's cold and dark eyes.

Director Liang took a step away from her and smiled at Reuben who had interrupted him. But this was just an ordinary smile, not like the one that was previously pasted on his face.

"What was it you were saying about my daughter?" He asked and his attention was shifted away from Lina.

"I just saw her flirting with a playboy." Reuben pointed his chin in a certain direction and Lina too looked that way.

'That's Wayne!' She would have laughed out if only her entire body wasn't still shaking from the traumatic experience from earlier.

"Excuse me, kids. I need to go save my daughter." He chuckled at them.

Lina did not respond to his joke and just blankly looked at this scene unfolding.

Just like that, the weird man started walking away. But just as he took two steps away from them, he looked back in Lina's direction.

"I would still like to have that conversation with you later." He smiled at her. 

Though it was just a normal smile, Lina could feel her skin crawl.

But that feeling quickly went away when she felt a strong and warm arm snake around her shoulders.

She looked at the hand on her shoulder and followed it to the body that it was attached to.

"I don't think she will be available for that. You see, she promised to dance with me and I doubt she'll be free after that." Reuben sweetly smiled at Director Liang.

The other man could only reluctantly nod before he left.

Lina was just an audience when these two men conversed and quietly followed when she was gently being led towards the dance floor.

Reuben watched how she did not speak a word and just looked at her feet as they began to dance.

----

Earlier, his eyes had been following her ever since he saw that she was alone. 

He watched as she smiled while looking at the Huo couple flirting while they danced.

"I was sure that I would see you here. How could the Emperor not grace this occasion with his outstanding presence?" 

His attention was diverted to the man who gave him that snarky comment.

"It's good to see you too." Reuben excitedly smiled when he saw who it was.

But the other person was clearly not interested. He just rolled his eyes at Reuben's enthusiasm.

"I need to talk to you about something. Does the busy Emperor have some time to spare?" He sneered at Reuben.

Reuben wanted to agree but his eyes caught sight of the trembling girl being cornered by some older man.

He looked at the man before him and then at insolent girl who clearly looked troubled.

"I'm really sorry but I have to leave." Reuben frowned and walked in Lina's direction.

The man stared at Reuben's straight back as he strode further away.

'You once again turned your back on me, big brother.' He smiled bitterly and looked away.

----

Reuben waited for her to look at him but she was still thinking about something else. So he cleared his throat to get her attention and he succeeded.

"Are you alright?" Reuben looked into her eyes as he led her in the dance.

He did not care about the people who were staring at him from every corner. 

He could also see his mother giving a thumbs up from her seat but he ignored her.

"Hmm." She nodded and looked down.

"Are you still going to act like you don't know me?" He lifted her chin up with his finger and gently smiled at her.

'He really has a great smile.' Lina smiled back at him.

"So you recognized me huh??" She awkwardly chuckled.

"Well, I do have eyes that work." He sarcastically retorted.

Lina just nodded and paid attention to not step on his feet while dancing.

"Thank you for helping me out, big fingered creep." She looked back at him and expressed her gratitude.

Her sense of perception was both a gift and a curse for her. Though it helped her to figure out how other people felt about her it also intensified the emotions that they would give out.

What just happened to her had shaken her up. The sudden changes in that man's temperament were both bizarre and astonishing.

Lina decided to have a long talk with her therapist to know more about this incident.

Reuben's lip twitched when he heard how she had addressed him.

'I save her and she still calls me a creep!?' He felt like pulling out his hair but stopped himself when he could feel her shudder in his arms.

"He can't hurt you now." He reassured her and saw her hum in response.

"Director Liang is not a bad guy, he just cannot control his excitement sometimes." He tried to justify it.

'Yea right! I felt like I was about to pass out because he can't control his excitement?' She wordlessly scowled at him.

He was about to say something else when he realized that he did not know her name yet and he most certainly would not call her 'Insolent girl'.

'I'm not that shameless, okay!' He refused to let her know that even he had a nickname for her.

"It's funny, isn't it?" He started and Lina tilted her head in confusion.

"What's funny?" She asked.

"It's funny how we've met so many times and I still don't know your name." He smirked at her and she shook her head while chuckling.

"But somehow I know your mother's name, Cecilia." He saw her brows scrunch together.

'That's not my mother's name, her name is Diane Yang. But she did go by 'Cecilia' for a part of her life.' Lina thought of her mother's past.

"Don't misunderstand me! I just overheard it when I arrived to save you." Reuben clarified to avoid being called a creep again.

That incident would always be a thorn in his tender heart.

"Well thank you, Mr. Savior. You can just call me Lina." She introduced herself to him.

He had fulfilled her criteria of introduction - Meeting more than once. 

She chuckled and decided that she really needs to improve her standards of making new friends.

"Lina" He repeated her name a couple of times.

"Umm… So are you going to introduce yourself or you want me to keep calling you Mr. Savior?" She jested.

"I personally do not have any problems with that name but it would just make you seem conceited in my eyes." She frankly let him know how she felt.

'She really doesn't care about what people think about her!' He was thoroughly amused.

"You can call me Reuben." He said and hoped to hear his name from her mouth but it looked like that wasn't going to happen.

The last song ended and it was finally the time for the auction to begin.

"I'll see you around, Reuben." She flashed him a smile and was about to walk away when she heard him mumble something.

"Don't you want to know my surname?" Was what he had mumbled.

Lina rolled her eyes and turned back.

"Now I absolutely believe that you are a conceited man. Aren't you a wee bit obsessed with surnames?" She shook her head in disappointment and left him in a daze as she walked away.

'I am obsessed? Me? Ughh…! This woman is so irritating!' He felt frustrated at her words and walked away in the opposite direction.

---

Watching this show from the sidelines were Reuben's parents and his loyal eunuch, Mathew Kim.

"They make a good pair, don't they?" Renee patted her husband's chest and he agreed with her.

They definitely looked great together. 

When Lina was looking down and dancing they witnessed how Reuben had brought her face up to look into her eyes.

Renee and Mathew squealed loudly when they saw this smooth move of his.

"I never knew that my boss could be so suave!" Mathew excitedly clicked their pictures.

"That's because he learned from the best." Felix Ming happily took credit for this.

They watched how they danced on not one but two songs consecutively.

Renee even gave him a big thumbs up when their eyes had met for a brief second.

"Who do you think she is?" Felix asked and the other two looked at him like he was some idiot.

"What?" He pouted when he saw the look of disdain on their faces.

"Keep up with the times, darling! That's the same girl that your son had drooled over at Phoenix Mall!" She giggled when she recalled that memory.

"And the woman from the airport!" Mathew joined her.

This was the first time that Felix had seen the woman who could make his smartass son stop in his tracks.

'I better send my men to get more information on her. I can't just allow him to meet up with just any woman.' Felix stared at the dancing pair who was now chuckling about something.

He had seen that woman dance with other men in quick succession and he did not want his son to be just another guy on the list.

"What did he do now!?" Felix's thoughts were interrupted when he heard his wife's angry voice.

He looked up and saw the pair disengage and go their separate ways.

"I'm sure that idiot must have done something!" She glared at Reuben who was walking towards them.

"Or said something." Mathew chimed in and received an appreciative nod from Renee.

"Just wait till he comes here!" She glowered angrily.

'Whatever happened must have happened for the best.' Felix was the only one who was satisfied with the situation.