Chapter 266 - The Strange Encounter

The woman opened her eyes wide in shock. This man was so straightforward. Was it because he was from overseas?

She quickly lifted her hand and slapped Emerson across the face. "You pervert!" she cried out in English.

Emerson held his cheek in surprise and quickly apologized, "It was an accident, I'm sorry."

He then turned to the other passengers in the train and said in Cantonese, "It's all a misunderstanding..."

The woman looked at Emerson with suspicion, "You speak Cantonese? Are you a local?"

Emerson forced a smile awkwardly and nodded his head.

"Why did you lie to me earlier. Were you trying to scam me? Let me warn you, you better get off at the next station or I'm calling the police!" the young woman warned as she pulled out her phone.

Emerson quickly raised his hands innocently, "I swear, this was all a misunderstanding."

"I never told you I wasn't a local. You somehow assumed it," Emerson said.

"Then why did you speak English to me?" the woman said accusingly.

"I was only responding to you. I actually thought you weren't local because you spoke English to me first," Emerson replied.

The young woman thought back on their initial encounter and realized he was right. "You told the station staff that you speak English and not Cantonese...That's why I misunderstood..."

"I was simply embarrassed to tell her I didn't have an octopus card..."

The woman furrowed her brows and shook her head, "But that doesn't explain what you're doing here and the inappropriate words you said to me."

She then glanced down at her clothes. She was wearing a black short-sleeved top with a v-neck collar and drawstring center that created a ruched, cropped look. And, on the bottom, she wore a pair of high-waisted dad jeans with a pair of sneakers. The black cap on her head had an iconic tick on it and sat on top of her long wavy milk-tea-colored hair. Even though she had a surgical mask covering her face, the fake eyelashes and eye makeup on her eyes were dazzling.

"I may be a little revealing, but it's almost summer and this is what you call fashion. Don't get any dirty ideas, you pervert!" the young woman frowned as she glared at him.

Emerson laughed awkwardly, "You've really misunderstood. I was in a rush to catch you before you left so I didn't word my sentences properly."

He then took a deep breath and stepped back, "Let me start again..."

"I was impressed by your English and friendliness earlier. You see, I work in the service industry and I've been looking for people like you to work for me for a long time. So, I honestly had a legitimate job offer for you. It just came out sounding a little inappropriate. That was completely my fault," Emerson said as he raised his hands, admitting he was wrong.

The woman eyed the man in front of her from head to toe. He was neatly shaven, his hair was tidy, and he was wearing a white collared shirt with a pair of grey business pants and black loafers. He did look like a young businessman.

Choosing to believe him, she cleared her throat and said, "Well...I already have a job so I'll have to reject your offer. Also, I don't work for money, I work for passion, so don't try to ask me how much I charge again."

Emerson laughed awkwardly and breathed a sigh of relief. "That's a shame, but I'm glad we cleared our misunderstanding."

Just as he finished talking, the train came to a stop and everyone stood up to leave. 

Emerson looked around in confusion. They had only been on the train for less than 5 minutes but it had already reached a terminating station.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"AsiaWorld Expo," the woman replied.

The AsiaWorld Expo was one of the major convention and exhibition centers in Hong Kong and it was located close to the airport.

Emerson followed the woman off the train. "Are you here for an event?" he asked curiously.

The young woman nodded her head. "Yes, I'm originally from Hong Kong, but I've been working and studying overseas for a few years. This time, I'm only visiting briefly for an event."

She then pointed toward some stairs. "You will have to catch a train in the other direction to get back to where you need to be," she explained.

Emerson nodded his head thankfully as he glanced at the stairs. But, just as he turned back to thank the woman, he looked around in confusion and realized she was already gone.

Was she a ghost? How did she come and go so quickly?

He quickly glanced towards the gate, hoping to find her. As luck had it, he spotted her long wavy hair in the distance and tried to call out to her, but that was when he realized he didn't even know her name.

As he stood there with his mouth open, no words came out.

Before he knew it, the woman exited the station and disappeared right in front of him. Somehow, he felt a little disappointed.

Emerson subconsciously touched his lips and furrowed his brows. What a strange encounter...

...

Over on the other side of Hong Kong, Danson and Marissa sat quietly inside their luxurious Mercedes as the driver peered at them through the rearview mirror. The stepmother and stepson had always been at odds and he often witnessed them arguing or insulting each other, but today, the car was oddly quiet.

Did something happen while they were in Beijing?

"I've already called an auctioneer to come place a value on the house tomorrow. My offer still stands. If you want to buy it, I will give you first dibs," Marissa finally said, breaking the silence.

"Where will you live if you sell the house? And what about the company? My father entrusted you with it. You're not really selling it as well, are you?" Danson asked.

"If you want, you can buy it as well. If not, I will keep the ownership and lease it out to someone. Either way, I don't want to stay around here anymore," Marissa said.

She had promised Donald that she would keep the company in the Qian Family's hands, so she realized she couldn't sell it to an outsider. She could either sell it to Danson or lease it until her son grew old enough to take over.

"Emerson's not even married. Why are you doing this?" Danson said with frustration.

Marissa glared at the man and turned to look out the window, "Do you really not know...?"