99 Happy Christmas Eve

December 24, 20XX (Monday)

Zhao Manor & Beijing SKP

Mei Li had woken up early, again. She sat at the quiet and large living room in Zhao Manor by her lone self. She was thankful that Zhao Manor had no fireplace as looking at the reddish-orange flames would worsen her thoughts. Her dreams have been plagued with nightmares; it was always the same scene over and over again, she couldn't move as she watched herself burn.

"You're up early again."

Mei Li turned towards the direction of the voice and was greeted with a worried CEO. He was wearing a pair of blue pajamas and was leaning on the doorway with his arms crossed in front of him.

"Yeah..." Mei Li smiled weakly at him.

The painter's eyes never left Yang as he walked towards her and then sat beside her before picking her up and letting her sit on his lap.

Mei Li, as she had done for the past three days, wrapped her arms around his waist, burrowing her face in his neck, and sagging her weight into his; seeking his comfort.

Yang kissed the top of her head and caressed her back with his right hand while the left had combed her hair and scratch her scalp. He hated seeing her this weak and dependent but at the same time, he loves how much she depends on him specifically.

The Painter's eye began to grow heavy with his small comfort but Mei Li forced herself to murmur, "My gifts for your Family... They're gone."

Yang sighed. Of all the concerns, she needed to worry about herself yet she worries about his family. How much does she love his family to do so? Yang kissed her head again and said, "I haven't bought mine too, want to come with me?"

Mei Li looked up at him and asked, "To shop?"

Yang nodded with a soft and gentle smile that brought Mei Li's heart to miss a beat, again. If he kept smiling like that, sooner or later she will die. He had the most dangerous smile.

"It'll be so crowded though." Mei Li buried her face into his neck again and smelled his natural cinnamon-like smell and the strong male body wash.

"You forget who I am."

At 10 am in the morning, Yang had dragged the painter on a famous mall that had high end and luxury brands. Yang had casually intertwined their fingers together as if the fingers on his right hand was specially made to fit on the gaps between the fingers of her left hand.

Mei Li blushed as she walked with Yang who was smiling like a fool from ear to ear.

"So which shop should we start?" Yang asked

"Gucci?" Mei Li blurted out the first brand name that popped out of her mind because Yue talked constantly about it.

Yang grinned, a joke already at the tip of his tongue, "Should we follow the route we had in Paris?"

Mei Li would have laughed but she was nervous and apprehensive about something as she continued fidgeting like a nervous wreck.

"Why are you so nervous?" Yang asked after a while. He had noticed her behavior even before they arrived at the mall; she was never this nervous with him even when they were still strangers in Paris.

"... Yang, I don't have any money with me. My cards, my wallet, my college credentials, and Yue's gifts to me... Gone." Mei Li's voice cracked and Yang's heart melted as tears begun to gather in her eyes. He cursed the circumstances that made her cry!

"Come on, " Yang dragged Mei Li to the nearest shop which was Chanel after saying. "Let's buy you a new wallet and I'll put new cards on them, I'll have your college credentials reprinted, and Yue's gifts may not have survived but Yue will give you more gifts than before. The important thing is you are alive."

Mei Li murmured softly and Yang had to focus at her to hear her soft words, "You spoil me..."

"And I'll continue to do so because you deserve it and so much more," Yang, without caring about the stares coming from the sales attendants, kissed her forehead.

Yang had proceeded to buy her clothes and anything that her eyes had laid on. She was adamant about only buying one dress but Yang had no care in the world and just kept on swiping his card. The painter had to wrestle the black card out of his hands and took matters in her own miser hands.

The next store they went was Gucci were they had bought two presents for Yue both paid by Yang. The second store was Dolce & Gabbana in which Mei Li had reluctantly bought a scarf; she had hesitated since it wasn't her money but Yang had urged her into the counter with the scarf on hand. The next store was Versace, then Louise Vuitton, Prada, Versace, Mikimoto, and so much more.

Yang couldn't care less about what he felt right now. He only cared when Mei Li tried a dress on and had asked for his opinion on which he had been totally honest and replied with a 'You look great!' to every dress she wore because she did look great!

But the most fun he ever had was when they entered Christian Louboutin, Mei Li had looked like a kid in a candy store. She had tried every shoe she found interesting using Yang's arm as support everytime she bent down only for it to be big and bulky on her small feet causing her to deflate in gloominess.

He grinned mercilessly when Mei Li had asked for her small size and then being turned down because most of the shoes were already 'reserved.' Mei Li turned to Yang with a disappointed face and was ready to go out when Yang pulled her to the payment counter and saying to the cashier, "I would like to meet the manager in charge. I am Zhao Yang, CEO of Zhao Conglomerate." He handed his card at the middle-aged lady with a charming smile.

Minutes later, Mei Li marveled at the power of money as the attendants closed the shop for Yang to shop alone. The other people inside who had been browsing had been softly told that a VIP had arrived and would like them to step out a little. The people had been angry at first but when they saw who the VIP was, they turned away with tails tucked between their legs.

The sadistic Zhao Yang merely watched these people run away with the biggest smile of amusement. He still got it, after all. When Mei Li smiled at him in thanks, the sadistic CEO became a whipped man on a blink of an eye. And so Mei Li happily bought herself three pairs of Louboutin that she personally carried all the way back to Zhao Manor.

When they returned to the manor, every corner that had been decorated for Christmas had begun to twinkle as the lights have been turned on. They hastily left the paper bags with gifts below the large Christmas tree and went to the kitchen where everyone had gathered.

Upon arriving, Mei Li was pulled into the arms of Aunt Qinyang and murmuring words of comfort. Yang merely sat beside his father and took a glass of wine. When he was about to take a sip, Mei Li's eyes caught with his. Yang hastily dropped the glass down and stood up to get himself some water.

The kitchen was filled with laughter and warmth with all of them gathered as the spirit of Christmas reunites there schedules again.

An hour before midnight, Father Zhao's phone rang and everyone was curious when he passed the phone to Mei Li.

"Hello?" The painter said in a manner close to a question.

"Mei Li, it's been a while!"

Mei Li stood up from her seat with excitement as her eyes brightened like the star on top the tree, "Monsieur Alfonsi! It's been a while!"

"Oh yes, how have you been? I had wanted to call you for a while and ask about your progress with your art but I simply forgot about it after a while."

"It seems that time is getting to you, my mentor." Mei Li grinned, happy to hear from her mentor.

"Highly unlikely! I can still kick your butt off you're going to continue teasing me!"

Mei Li giggled as she sat back down with the largest smile. Yang's face had turned stoic.

"I actually called for a reason..."

Mei Li immediately straightened and tensed.

"I'll be staying a while in Beijing at February next year, I hope I can see you then."

"Of course! Do you have someone that will fetch you at the airport?" Mei Li immediately offered her services even when she had nothing to offer.

"I don't know my schedule yet. I will let you know if I do."

They hang up after a while of small chatter and Yang was the first to question her, "Why are you so happy? Who was that?"

"A painter named Giusseppe Alfonso will be coming here in Beijing, " Mei Li beamed at the Zhao Family and then leaned in Yang's ears to whisper, "He is my mentor; the man who taught me to paint."

Mother Zhao promptly drop the wine glass she was holding. Jerome Bonaparte was coming to Beijing. She needs to hurry to build Yang and Mei Li's relationship so the overprotective father can or separate them when he's here. While Yang, who knew everything, begin to plan how to win his future father-in-law's approval.