Chapter 19 - Nana

Hearing the words that came out from the woman's mouth truly infuriated him. Just who is this woman to speak ill of her sister? More money? More connections? Is this woman has no knowledge just how powerful Xi Family is?. These words are what filled his mind at the moment.

"Who are you? I don't think you have the right to talk to me like that." she retorted which made him raise his left eyebrow. Is she dumb? Not only did she not respect his sister, now she also doesn't have idea who he is but before he could speak his brother-in-law scolded the woman.

"Lim Shinyi, can't you at least give your brother some face?" he pinch the gap between his eyebrows in frustration, his sister is being too much. Is this the result of spoiling her too much? She's the very opposite Xi Chen.

If Xi Chen was trained to be next in line to them, teaching him the complexities of the business world and how to deal with problems that comes with it Lim Shinyi was let loose, they didn't force her to deal with anything about business nor did they ever require her to know the latest news about the business industry. They just let her do whatever she wants to do.

The rage building up inside him doubled when he realized to connection of this woman to their family, as much as he dislike his brother-in-law he still respects him knowing his position in the society as well as his role as the husband of the sister he loved the most.

Xi Ana knew what's running on her brother's mind so she interrupted the whole thing and reminded them that the food was already served.

"We could at least talk about this over a meal. The breakfast is getting cold." Xi Chen's face lit up entirely forgetting the existence of Lim Shinyi. Xi Ana then ushered them towards the dining area.

When they are finally settled on the table, Xi Ana spoke. "And for the record Young Miss, I indeed do not need your approval over this marriage. Whether this is a marriage of convenience or not, it is up to me and your brother to decide."

She momentarily stopped to give her some time and eventually continued, "I don't know if you've already been given a warning, but in case not, I am someone you cannot provoke. I am a very considerate person but once you've crossed the line I'm afraid but even brother can't help you. Are we clear?"

Lim Shinyi could feel that the woman is drawing a line, and as much as she hates to admit, she is frightened with her words.

"Yes."

"Good, now let's eat." and they did.

Lim Shinyi was surprised by how good the dishes were. In the middle of the meal. Xi Ana was reminded by the sudden visit from her brother.

"Xi Chen, didn't I tell you to oversee the company while I'm not around?" not officially but she already made arrangements to let him take a seat at important meetings though his words still do not hold any authority within the company, they still value his words not only because he is the younger brother of the president but because his words have substance to it.

"I came here because of three things: first one is because I miss you, second is due to Grandfather's nagging, and lastly because of work." he momentarily paused eating as he started explaining the reason for his visit.

"Let's hear the last reason, then." the way he ordered the reasons are the opposite of how she would have ordered it.

He turned and looked at the stranger sitting in front of him, he's contemplating whether it's alright to speak about it in front of her but in the end he still did, after all she's a sister to his brother-in-law even if she's a bit dumb, he knows that his brother-in-law is not.

"Like you instructed, I sat on the meetings and a certain executive keeps getting my attention for absolutely no reason. His name is Xander Albeit. When I checked his background there seems to be nothing out of ordinary."

Lim Shinyi who's eating quietly rolled her eyes, if there's nothing out of ordinary then why bother. He's only making things complicated.

"Almost as if everything is manipulated, is that correct?" Lim Yi Sheng said, he wasn't surprised at the thought process of Xi Chen. He's being trained by his sister after all.

"Yeah, that's why I came here. I can't risk the idea of letting the executives get a wind of this matter. If I'm wrong, it could cause a huge ripple within the company and we can't afford that. My suspicion is baseless anyway," Xi Ana smiled knowing how his brother thinks of the consequences of his every action.

"Do you want me to help you dig deeper?" he offered knowing that Xi Chen will decline without a second thought, he's just trying to test him which Xi Ana knew instantly.

"No, actually I came to ask permission from Ana Jie if I can do an extensive research on him." he then looked at his sister with a hopeful look.

She drank water from her glass before finally speaking, "You can, on one condition."

"You won't use any of my resources nor the resources you've managed to gather while working for me. I want you to use your own resources which you've obtained on your own. From today onwards, I'm stripping you of the exemptions of being my brother."

Even Lim Yi Sheng was shocked with her condition, he felt as if its a bit too much for Xi Chen but didn't dare to interfere.

"You beat me to it Ana Jie, I was just planning to give up on my contacts and start anew. If I wanted to become on the same level as you, I need to at least start from where you started, right?"

The other pair of siblings were shocked with the sudden turn of the conversation.

"Are you sure about this, Xiao Chen?" he can't help but ask, this is not a simple matter. It will not only affect the current matter he wanted to work on but all the future affairs he will be engaged to. After all, he's only 22 years old right now.

"People might have the wrong idea when it comes to my sister but I know everything. My sister never used the contacts that Grandfather provided her when she needed to take over the company at such a young age. If I can't do at least that much when I'm training I don't think I'll be worth it for Xi Empire." Lim Shinyi had her mouth opened in shock. How come they are the almost the same age yet think so differently?

"It's okay, Yi Sheng. He can always come to me and beg anyway." she said half-jokingly, she knew it was indeed a bit too much, if he's too weak hearted he might not be able to handle it.

"I can do this, Ana Jie. I'm not your brother just for show." the sense of proud coming from him can be felt in the entire dining area.

They are indeed siblings, they think too alike.

Not long after the two left already and since Lim Yi Sheng is inside the shower she decided to call someone.

"Qi Lu, your disguise is about to be blown. So much for insisting you'll be able to keep it for long, huh?" she teased which made the man on the other line laugh.

"Nana, it's your fault for raising a monster of a brother. I was able to stay low profile for five years but your brother managed to see through it by just seating on the meetings for one week." he can't help but be amused at this woman's brother, he might even surpass his wicked of a sister if he continues to nurture his abilities to the fullest.

"I won't deny it though." she chuckled. It's not really a big deal that he was blown away, the man just insisted to be near nothing much of a reason anyway.

"Don't worry, we've gathered enough information during that long period of time and it's not like there are still much to squeeze." five years worth of information, that's not gonna be put to waste.

"So, what do I do? Should I fake my identity's death? Or just disappear altogether?" he preferred to do the latter because he just needs stop showing his disguise. It's not like they can trace it back to them, the way they erase their tracks were perfect.

"Just fake your death, I'm afraid my brother would chase after you if you just disappear like that and it might cause him forever. I don't want to make him waste his time over something that he has definitely no grasp over." she's definitely right.

"Sure, I might as well go on a vacation for a while. What do you want?" he's asking what she wants to eat so he can buy it for her. it's been so long since he was able to do so.

"What's my preference got to do with your vacation?" puzzled as she is, she asked.

"I will base your preference to the place I will go to." Xi Ana thought for a little while until she remembered something that she ate one time when they went to Country Z.

"Do you remember that rare fruit that can only be found in Country Z that we accidentally found?" her eyes were glowing upon the memory, she can't wait to savor that mouth-watering fruit once again.

"Are you planning to make me go extinct? Honey, there is only one me. How could you throw me in an island that absolutely has nothing? I can give you anything you want, why does it have to be that fruit?" she laughed heartily at the comment. Well, Country Z is a small island which is very far from civilization. Living there, you can't help but feel like you came back to the past. There is even no cellphone reception there.

"But they do have that fruit! No one else has, you asked what I want so take responsibility. Also, I've grown to dislike seeing your face everyday so you can stay there for a long time and I won't care."

The man on the other line felt defeated. Just how could this woman be so much spoiler than yesterday, he thought. "Fine, I'll have it when I get back. Take care of yourself, Nana"

"I will." as soon as she hanged up the phone, the door leading to the bathroom swung open.

Meanwhile, Lim Yi Sheng felt really miserable. When he decided to take a bath, he didn't realize that he was not able to pull the door properly which resulted to it being slightly open. Only when he heard her laugh did he notice the slightly opened door.

His mind was filled her laughing voice, he had never heard her laugh that way. Genuine and unrestrained. He felt a surge of pain and jealousy washed over him. Just who is she talking with a while back? He actually wasn't able to hear their conversation because when inside their bathroom, the conversations outside can only be heard as hushed voices talking to each other.

Though he's not sure, he was able to recognize the familiarity she have for the person she was talking with.

Just when will it me?

Just when will it be me that makes you laugh?