Rebirth in the Apocalypse: Third Time's a Charm

"I think that you and I need to have a little talk about what powers are going to develop, but that will have to be saved for some time when Chao is here," said Liu Wei.

I chuckled. "Chao?" I said and he just shrugged his shoulders.

"He might be my boss, but I've been with that man since I was 9 years old and he was 10. We went to school together, and boot camp together. We have been through thick and thin... together. I think that gives me the ability to call him by name among friends."

"Are you among friends?" I ask, my head tilted. He was still sitting on the coffee table in front of me, holding my hands in his.

"Well, I am pretty sure that I don't hold my friends' hands like this, but yes, I consider you a good friend,"

I nodded my head in reply. Maybe step one could be somewhat adjusted... just a little. But I still think that the majority of people needed to burn.

"Let me meet the Old Master first, and anyone that would be living here with him. I get the final say over who moves in," I said, willing to realize that step one was to protect me, not to isolate me. I wanted this life to be all about MY freedom, the freedom to be and do what I wanted. Limiting myself through step one would not give me the freedom I desired.

"When is good for you?" Asked Liu Wei, withdrawing his hands and moving to sit back on the couch. "I assume that you would prefer to meet everyone here rather than at the Wang family mansion."

I looked at Liu Wei with a great deal of suspicion in my eyes. "He isn't currently sitting in my driveway right now, is he?"

He shook his head and laughed at my question. "No, I promise you he isn't sitting in your driveway right now... he is down the street."

I threw the decorative pillow on my chair at his head but the fucker dodged it. Does he not realize that if a woman throws a pillow at you, you are honor bound to be hit by it?!?

Stupid men.

"But seriously, when do you want to set up a meeting?" asked Liu Wei, taking my pillow and putting it beside him.

"Whenever works best for you, I guess. It's not like I am really going anywhere," I said sullenly. Stupid pillow and stupid Liu Wei.

"I'll go back to the house and talk to the Old Master and Wang Chao," he said as he got up and started to the front door.

"Fine, just give me more of a heads up than you in my driveway," I replied, picking up the pillow off the couch and once again throwing it at his head.

Once again... he ducked.

He looked over his shoulder at me, trying to contain his laughter. "You might want to work on your aim there, Dai Lu."

I rolled my eyes and went into the kitchen, determined to work on steps five and six. Organizing and filling the pantry was a great way to reduce stress. Or at least it was for me. There were a lot of times that I didn't have anything to eat just so I could make sure that someone else in the compound did. Knowing that I had enough food stored for a couple of years made me relax, just a bit.

But if anyone thought that they would get their stinky hands on my desserts, they had another thing coming.

------

"What did she say?" Asked Wang Chao as Liu Wei walked in the front door of the Wang family mansion. There was a group of five people seated around the living room, looking at Liu Wei. No one would know who 'she' was besides Wang Chao and his grandfather.

Sitting in a chair at the head of the arrangement was the Old Master, Wang Yi Chen, while Wang Chao and Wang Shu Lan were seated to his left and right. Beside Wang Shu Lan was Zhang Hui Fen, both of them sitting on a loveseat so as to prevent the other two men in the room from sitting beside them.

No one dared to sit next to Wang Chao without his permission.

Those two men were stuck loitering around the room next to the bodyguards, their place in the family clearly stated without a word needing to be said.

"A lot," said Liu Wei, taking a seat beside Wang Chao. "But not all of it is worth repeating."

Wang Chao nodded his head as if that was to be expected and continued on with the conversation that they were having before Liu Wei arrived.

"So, I think that we need to expand Sunset Multimedia Corporation into international markets," suggested Wang Zi Hao, "Specifically, Country S. They are lacking a saturation in the market that other countries like Country M have, and it would be good to get our foot in the door with them sooner rather than later."

The Old Master was nodding his head in agreement with his grandson's suggestion. Although the second family did not have much going for it, Wang Zi Hao was willing to work hard to ensure a bright future for himself. As a grandfather, there was nothing better than a grandson that did not expect handouts.

"It is a good suggestion," said Wang Chao, noticing a subtle signal from Liu Wei. "I will have to do more research into that market before making a final decision."

Wang Zi Hao walked over from his place against the wall and handed Wang Chao a folder. "This is all the preliminary information I was able to gather, including a rough budget of what it would cost and any unforeseen circumstances that might arise as a result."

Wang Chao took the information with a grateful nod and then excused himself and Liu Wei to the study to discuss some other matters.

"Alright, what happened?" Asked Wang Chao as soon as Liu Wei had closed the door behind himself. "You are on edge, and it seems to be a lot worse than normal."

"What happened depends a lot on your impression of Li Dai Lu," said Liu Wei, not willing to commit to anything at that moment. He was trying to feel out how Wang Chao felt about Dai Lu and if he even believed what she was saying. If he didn't, then there was no point bringing it up.

Liu Wei could take the information given to him and make the best possible plans behind Wang Chao's back. The Wang family was just as much his family as the Liu's were, maybe even more, and he would protect them until his dying breath.

"My impression?" Asked Wang Chao, somewhat confused. "My impression does not need to be brought into the matter. I just wanted to know what happened in your meeting with her. Did she agree to take the Old Master in?"

"She would like to meet with him first, as well as anyone that we considered 'essential personnel to the Old Master's safety' that would be staying with him. I can organize a time when the Old Master is free to take him to the ranch."

"Why take him to the ranch? She can come here," said Wang Chao with a wave of his hand, dismissing the idea of taking the Old Master to an unknown location.

"I wish you the best of luck on that," smiled Liu Wei, once again running his fingers through his hair and getting more comfortable on the chair. "And I will be giving her some of my personal weapons, so you don't need to worry about supplying her with anything anymore."

"And what did she give you in return that is worth those weapons?" Asked Wang Chao, raising an eyebrow. Liu Wei's personal collection of weapons could rival that of any country. The man was absolutely obsessed with them and wouldn't let anyone see them, let alone touch them. The fact that he was willing to supply Li Dai Lu with weapons spoke volumes about what she had given him in return.

"I guess the worth would be determined by whether you accept her prediction for the future or not," countered Liu Wei, not budging an inch on the issue.

What she had said, the names that she should not have known, and the fact that there was an offer to extend Phoenix Conglomerate into Country S at this point in time, made what she said earlier all that more plausible.

And Liu Wei was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.