Questions And Answers
524 Words
Episode 11 – “Questions and Answers”
Li Xue adjusted her blazer, still seated on the couch, one eyebrow raised. She studied him intently.
“Alright,” she began, voice sharp, precise. “Let’s start at the beginning. How did you even approach my parents? Did they just pick up the phone and call you, or did you… sweet-talk them into this meeting?”
The young man leaned back casually, a faint, confident smile playing on his lips.
“They called me,” he said smoothly. “And I said yes. Why would I waste an opportunity to meet someone my future might thank me for?”
Li Xue blinked, caught off guard by the boldness. She crossed her arms.
“Hm. Confident. Good. But tell me… why me? Out of everyone in the city, why ask to meet me?”
He stepped closer, hands in his pockets, eyes unwavering. “Because I’ve heard of you. Your empire. The woman who built everything from nothing. The Ice Flame, they call you, right?”
Li Xue’s lips twitched at the nickname. “Do you usually call people by their nicknames before even meeting them?”
“Only the ones who can handle it,” he replied smoothly, tilting his head with a teasing glint.
Li Xue’s fingers drummed lightly on the couch. “Alright… you’ve piqued my curiosity. But I still don’t know anything about you. Background. Career. Education. Anything that makes you qualified to even stand here.”
His smile widened slightly, confident yet respectful. “I’m a lawyer. Been practicing for ten years. Corporate law, international contracts, arbitration. Basically… I know how to handle people like you—and boards like yours.”
Li Xue arched an eyebrow. “Bold. And you just waltz in, claiming to know how to ‘handle’ me?”
He took a deliberate step closer, his voice steady, teasing, yet firm.
“Yes. Because I can see what you don’t even admit to yourself. You’re brilliant, unstoppable… and completely exhausted. And someone has to remind you that even an empire needs balance.”
Li Xue felt a flicker of something in her chest—annoyance? intrigue? She couldn’t tell. She narrowed her eyes.
“Hmm. A lawyer. Bold enough to critique my life after five minutes of meeting me. Interesting. Dangerous, even. Most people would cower or fawn.”
He chuckled, unshaken. “Cowering is boring. Fawning is dull. And I’m not here to impress you. I’m here to see if you can impress me.”
Li Xue’s lips curled into a faint smirk—the first real one in weeks.
“Alright, Mr. Lawyer,” she said slowly, leaning back. “You’ve introduced yourself. You’ve answered boldly. But let’s see if your skills match your words. I don’t do meetings with amateurs, charmers, or people who can’t handle a storm.”
He bowed slightly, mock-serious. “Storm? Miss Li, I was born in one.”
For a moment, silence fell. Only the soft hum of the city outside. Then Li Xue’s faint laugh broke it.
“Perhaps… you’ll survive this empire longer than I expected.”
- Writer
