In the days that followed Gao Rou had sent men to the Shanxi, specifically to survey the location, where the public phone was located. They hoped that they could catch Gao Rou's mysterious caller on the act of making contact. It was a payphone by the street which was pretty much accessible to just anybody else.
Gao Rou's men, however, found out that it was conveniently located to a bank and thus, they began to work on accessing the bank's surveillance, something that Luis had become good at as of recently.
Lu Wei also took the initiative of sending men to his old workers, those that were working in the mansion even before Gao Chaoxiang's death.
Gao Rou had already checked on the police records but found no evidence to suggest that there was a foul play to the crash. Unfortunately, though, the front of the car was wrecked beyond recognition and thus, if the car was tampered with, at that point, it was very difficult to tell.
While the truth of Gao Chaoxiang's death was still unknown, Gao Rou promised Lu Fang that he would remain living a normal life, and he hoped to do so with Deana by his side.
He was waiting at the airport, a little too early. Deana's flight was due to arrive at eight in the evening but he was already there since seven. He went straight from the office, merely taking a quick stop to buy a bouquet.
Finally, Darwin had allowed Deana to stay in China for six months, with the purpose of overseeing their local distributors' operations in China.
Since Andrea and Lu Fang were both not familiar with the pharmaceutical industry, they had come to work with experienced distributors in China, merely using Lu-Wei Enterprises as an agent for payments, product complaints, and product information.
In the past year since Intramed Wise had begun fully distributing their drugs in China, Darwin had sent his executives twice. This time, with his sister's pleading, it was Deana's turn to visit China.
"Deana!" Gao Rou called out, after seeing her come out of the VIP exit. He was waiving at her with one hand and the other was behind his back, holding her flowers.
Deana was smiling from ear to ear, seeing Gao Rou in a cheerful manner. She thought there was something different about him.
She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and without delay they kissed, having not seen each other for more than a month. Although it was nothing compared to the time they had broken up, Deana was starting to get used to how different Gao Rou has been treating her.
"These are for you," he said while handing the bouquet.
"Wow, they are beautiful," she said before pursing her lips. "I love them."
"You must be hungry. Let's eat - "
"I ate on the plane. You bought me business class tickets, remember?"
"Well, I'm hungry so you are going to have to come with me. Let's have noodles at least," said Gao Rou while taking her luggage.
They ate at a Japanese restaurant within the airport and while savoring their meal, Deana said, "The company has reserved a hotel for me near Lu-Wei Enterprises."
Gao Rou was taken aback. Deana had never mentioned she was taking care of her own accommodation. He said, "You are not staying in a hotel. You are staying with me at my home! Why sleep on an unfamiliar bed when you can join me and never be lonely for your entire stay."
Deana was blushing, thinking about living with him in his home. The last time she was around, she stayed at a hotel just before they left for the Maldives. It would be her first time to live with him in his house. While finishing up her bowl, she said, "Okay. I look forward to seeing your home."
Deana was suddenly reminded of the time she first met Gao Rou. That was during Lu Fang and Andrea's wedding. He did not give her any attention, just simply acknowledging her presence and politely smiling while occasionally chatting with her.
For her, it was love and first sight. Even without Christina's teasing, she had already taken an interest in Gao Rou. When Christina suggested that Gao Rou fly to the US on behalf of Andrea, she tried to hide her excitement. However, mentally, she was already making a list of where she would take him, should he decide to pay them a visit.
While watching him eat, Deana suddenly thought of asking, "Gao Rou, when exactly did you realize that you loved me? I'm sorry. I just realized, I never asked you this when we were in the Maldives."
He grinned thinking about their recent vacation. He teased her, saying, "Well, we were in the Maldives. It was natural for us to make use of a romantic destination and act the most romantic way."
When they were in the Maldives, they went out on several excursions and made loved several times. It was as if their actions did most of the explaining. They talked a few times, but it was not enough to give Deana closure.
"Urrg! I'm serious!" said Deana as she slammed her chopsticks down the table.
Knowing she would not stop at it, Gao Rou looked at her straight in the eye for a moment. He smiled at her and reluctantly admitted, " When - when you accepted my friend request again…"
He extended his hand to hold her before resuming, "You accepted me, but you rarely answered my messages. It worried me that you were finally starting to accept… breaking up."
Deana suddenly frowned at his response before questioning him, "So if I did not try to move on, you would not realize it?"
"Maybe… I guess... I hate to admit it but that is exactly how it happened. Look, Deana. I'm sorry… and I will say sorry to you as many times as I should just so you can forget about the past and the pain that I brought you. I know it's never easy to forget, but thank you for trying your best and for giving me another chance."
Gao Rou knew it would take time for Deana to trust him fully. He knew it would not be the last that Deana will ask about his feelings for her. It was because their relationship did not have a strong start that Deana still questioned his sincerity.
However, because he was the one at fault, Gao Rou knew he needed to work harder. This was, after all, his second chance.