Blink
BastardYi Fan refuses to believe that this optimistic little ball of sunshine will last any longer than the others. He can’t lose sight of his true agenda and decides it's best to stick to his plan. But how persistent Mei Lin is. Picking up purposefully scattered documents, putting them back in their proper order without so much as a word of complaint; always at least two paces behind Yi Fan but never more than four and always to his left; Mei Lin is even fast enough to open doors and have the elevator waiting.
When Yi Fan pulls the coffee card, Mei Lin brings his order with two minutes to spare. Sure that she had messed up, Yi Fan takes a sip only to find it to be perfect and exactly as he had ordered. And when he lies, insisting that it is too sweet: “I asked for one sugar, not two,” Mei Lin pulls out her phone and plays a recording of his very quick description of his tall cup.
“I’m well aware, sir,” Mei Lin says with a smile, which Yi Fan takes as a sign of gloating. “You’re a good liar.”
The recording keeps playing and Yi Fan is almost embarrassed when his own-recorded voice betrays him by saying two sugars. I say almost because Yi Fan is never embarrassed, ever.
Happy that she has finally discovered something about her new boss, Mei Lin has a certain look in her eyes as they get papers signed, which Yi Fan doesn’t approve of. It’s time to knock her down a peg. “Wear more make up,” Yi Fan says. “Or get plastic surgery. Do something about the way you look because even if you’re not going to be here very long, it would be nice if the people working for me didn’t look like something out of a horror story. I wouldn’t want the rest of the company to think that I started hiring trolls.”
Mei Lin flinches internally, blinking a few more times per minute than usual as Yi Fan continues to insult her appearance.
“I know you’re a lab tinkerer, but if you’re going to work for me as well, you better not dress like one. I expect you to dress better than what few ladies we have on the board, not worse. Where on Earth did you get that suit? Goodwill? That is what they call those stores in the States, right? Get something that costs more than half my haircut. And if you can’t afford it, you shouldn’t be here.”
Mei Lin collects the signed papers and says, “I’ll be sure to work on that.”
“One more thing,” Yi Fan says before Mei Lin leaves to deliver the papers. “Either wear something with small heel or wear flats.”
“Sir,” Mei Lin says, bowing her head slightly before leaving. Once in the elevator, Mei Lin can’t help but think: What a piece of work.
Yi Fan decides to leave while Mei Lin is running errands.
Although the recipients are happy that some work is being done and progress is being achieved, there’s a bittersweet aftertaste because they know all too well that it’s people like Mei Lin who burn out within the week. She’s smiling and full of energy now; just wait.
Mei Lin comes back to an empty office and her first reaction is to freak out because how the hell is she going to explain to the president that she had lost his son? Mei Lin takes a deep breath and turns around to the two other secretaries. One manages everything that is needed for the entire Developmental Department while the other is like Mission Control for the rest of the secretaries on this floor, kind of like the Lu Han of the Resource Department. “Yì Fán zài nǎ lǐ?” ("Where is Yi Fan?") Mei Lin asks.
The ladies don’t give Mei Lin even a glance of acknowledgment but she knows that she had been heard. Mei Lin sighs and walks in front of the Developmental Department’s secretary. She stands there for a moment before the secretary glances over at the elevators and then back to her monitor screen. Mei Lin lets out another sigh because there is no way to know which way he had gone nor where he had been going.
An idea sparks in Mei Lin’s head at the brief sight of Gale coming out of the elevators. She says a quick “thanks” to Gale as she slips into the same elevator before it closes. Gale is confused but continues her way back to the lab. Mei Lin is anxious to get to the first floor and when she finally does, she makes a beeline for Lu Han.
“Oh no,” Lu Han says at the sight of Mei Lin. “What does he have you doing now?” His tone is amused and eyes just as bright.
“Nothing; I can’t find him,” Mei Lin admits. “From the sounds of it, this isn’t the first time. Any hints?”
Lu Han shifts his weight to the other leg and crosses his arms over his chest casually as he tilts his head, as if that would give him a better idea of what’s before him. She’s not enthusiastic and I wouldn’t call her hard working…
“Well?” Mei Lin asks, snapping Lu Han out of his analysis.
“Why do you keep coming to me?” Lu Han asks, as if he’s nothing special.
“Gale suggested it,” Mei Lin says honestly.
The look that flashes behind Lu Han’s eyes would have made Mei Lin a lot more curious had she not been trying to find the whereabouts of her new boss. Lu Han pulls up the security cameras. Mei Lin is relieved at the lack of sound as Lu Han finds the two’s last conversation. “Wow, he actually left this time,” Lu Han says to himself. The question written in Mei Lin’s eyes softly compels Lu Han to clarify his previous statement. “He sometimes goes on the roof because only maintenance, security, and certain members of staff are allowed access.”
“And I don’t have access,” Mei Lin concludes.
“Your application says that you don’t smoke, so no, you don’t. Yi Fan only hires non-smokes for that reason.”
Mei Lin wants to know how Lu Han knows about her job application, but it seemed like a silly question, seeing how he seems to have access to just about everything. What’s making her curious now is the level of security clearance this little deer has. “But he’s not on the roof,” Mei Lin says as they watch Yi Fan get off the elevator on the ground floor and makes his way to the parking garage.
“Another twist that he did once was that he gave his keys to one of the janitors. Guy had the time of his life,” Lu Han chuckles.
“He’s on the roof where hardly anyone can get to him while everyone is off chasing a wild goose because his car is missing,” Mei Lin sighs. This boy isn’t stupid.
As the two watch Yi Fan drive off, the time stamp says that this had happened over half an hour ago. “Sorry,” Lu Han says, stretching and leaning back on his chair while Mei Lin straightens herself. “There’s a GPS in his car, but even I don’t have access to that. You would have to ask one of the Lǎo Bǎn’s secretaries for that.”
“What kind of car does he have?” Mei Lin asks.
“Geely Tiger GT,” Lu Han says with a rather envious tone.
“That came out almost a decade ago,” Mei Lin says, expecting something more recent.
Amazed by her knowledge of cars, Lu Han leans in with his elbows on his knees and asks, “Why do you ask?”
“You said ‘there’s a GPS in his car,’” Mei Lin says. “Something tells me that it was installed by the president or on his behalf. The fact that I need to ask the secretaries for access tells me that it must have been. Heck, it’s a full proof plan. Should anyone ask them for access, he would know that his son is missing and then would know where he is at a moment’s notice.”
Smart girl.
“Most luxury cars have a GPS built in by the manufacturing company so that they can keep track of them should they ever be stolen, and heavens know that there will be attempts. My guess is that he bought that thing when it first came out. I don’t need to ask for access.”
Now Lu Han is confused. “Then how will you know where he is?”
Mei Lin pulls out a small personal laptop and Lu Han slides over, giving Mei Lin some room on his surprisingly neat desk. “Give me all the information you have on that car. Time of purchase, by whom, by what means, its color, everything.”
Lu Han lists all that he can pull up. “What are you doing?”
“Accessing the company’s servers—I know where he is—”
“That’s great,” Lu Han says, just in time to stop her from dashing out of earshot. “How are you going to get there in time? It’s not like you have a car. And what if he moves again? What if he just parked his car somewhere and—”
Mei Lin smiles at Lu Han’s concern (or attempt to deter her). “You have your job, I have mine.”
Mei Lin waves for a taxi and she says, “XinHe.”
The driver starts the ticker and Mei Lin arrives in fifteen minutes. During that time, Mei Lin is tracking the Yi Fan’s phone. I hope he hasn’t noticed the new little rhinestone on his cellphone charm. The fact that it’s working tells Mei Lin no. Mei Lin spots the car. It’s not hard to when everyone is stopping to take a picture. She pays the taxi driver and walks down into the subway station. The signal down here is weak, but even in a different set of clothes and sunglasses, it’s not hard to spot a man who towers over the general population even while sitting.
Mei Lin walks up to the young man and asks, “Is this seat taken?”
Yi Fan looks up and removes his hood before taking off his Coach sunglasses. “You’re good.”
“Was that a compliment?” Mei Lin asks, playing along.
“Are you here to drag me back to the office?” Yi Fan asks, leaning back on the plastic seating. Good luck, shorty.
“If I were here to do that, I wouldn’t be alone.”
Yi Fan raises an eyebrow and notice that she’s right. “So how did you find me without notifying my father?”
“If I told you, then it’ll happen again,” Mei Lin says. “You missed your lunch with—”
“So?” What are you going to do about it?
“It’s been rescheduled to tomorrow but you should know that she’ll be coming.”
“Such as to the office?”
“Yes. It seems I’m not the only young lady you avoid,” Mei Lin says, keeping the conversation light and playful.
“Jealous?” Yi Fan asks in sickly arrogant tone.
“Hardly.”
Yi Fan lets a smirk creep over his lips. So she’s going to go with the flow. Bad idea. Yi Fan gets up suddenly and walks towards the ticket station. He taps at the screen quickly and at random and it spits out a coin and ticket. Mei Lin copies his actions and follows Yi Fan on their little trip around Guangzhou.
Mei Lin taps and swipes at her tablet while the two are on the subway. When Yi Fan thinks she’s not looking, he gets off at a random stop and hops onto another subway, only to find Mei Lin waiting for him when he decides to get off again. After two more of these incidences, Yi Fan lets out a sharp sigh that shakes the strands of his hair. Mei Lin follows behind Yi Fan, never more than four paces behind and to his left until Yi Fan decides to break off into a sprint. Mei Lin runs after her boss for about sixty or so paces before stopping to catch her breath.
Mei Lin checks her laptop after ensuring he isn’t around. But just as she is about to open the small notebook, Yi Fan seizes her wrist. “What do you have here?” So this is how you know where I’m going.
Mei Lin contemplates swatting his grip away, but decides against it, seeing how it would give him reason to fire her. Yi Fan takes the laptop and opens it in vain. Surely you didn’t think I would have something so precious kept unprotected. Yi Fan stares at the request of a password blankly, but inside builds frustration. So he does the only thing that makes sense. Before Mei Lin’s eyes, Yi Fan chucks her laptop to the ground. To add insult to injury, Yi Fan stomps on it twice to ensure damage beyond repair.
Mei Lin blinks at the current events as Yi Fan hops on another subway train. Mei Lin cleans up the mess and throws the parts into a nearby trashcan, saving only the hard drive. She lets out a sigh and makes her way back to XinHe. She waits for about fifteen minutes next to the Geely Tiger GT before Yi Fan shows up. Go wherever you like but you’re not stupid enough to leave a car like this here overnight.
Yi Fan glares at Mei Lin before getting into the car, and locks it quickly before driving off at nearly illegal speeds. He doesn’t go back to the office, but rather, he goes home. Mei Lin waves for a taxi to take her back to GIBI, however.
In all the commotion, Mei Lin had forgotten to eat her lunch and finds herself sitting alone so late in the afternoon in the company’s cafeteria. Lu Han, who had been walking all over the building, spots the lonely girl at the other end of the empty room.
“Did you find him?” Lu Han asks. “From the looks of it, you didn’t.”
Lu Han’s use of Mandarin reminds Mei Lin of how to speak. “I did,” Mei Lin says. “I followed him for hours in the subway lines. He broke my laptop.”
“Ouch.”
Mei Lin brushes it off. “It’s not like I can’t track him anymore. It just makes it a bit more difficult. The sun tells me he’s home.”
“The sun?” Lu Han asks with a laugh. Mei Lin gives him a small smile, too tired to laugh properly at her own joke. “Sorry about your laptop—”
Mei Lin waves for him to stop talking. “You’re not the one who broke it.”
“Maybe I can fix it,” Lu Han offers, feeling bad for the poor girl.
Mei Lin manages a laugh, a short, hopeless laugh. “Thanks, but you should get back to work.”
“I’m actually heading home,” Lu Han says.
Mei Lin smiles again and waves her hand again, telling him that it’s okay to leave her alone and go home. Mei Lin finishes the sandwich and goes into her office before shrugging on a lab coat. Gale and the rest of Mei Lin’s assistants are ready to call it a day, but Gale doubles back and pulls open the glass door to Mei Lin’s office, poking only her head in.
“Rough day?” Gale asks.
“What gave it away?” Mei Lin asks sarcastically.
“You look like ,” Gale says.
“He smashed my laptop,” Mei Lin explains.
“Want to get a drink?” Gale asks, even though neither of them really have a taste for it.
Mei Lin doesn’t even take the time to consider. “Sure. You can give me an update on that laser over a cold one.”
Mei Lin hangs up her lab coat and grabs her bag. “I’m driving,” Gale says at the state of which her friend is in.
Mei Lin is silent throughout the whole ride.
“He’s working his way under your skin, isn’t he?” Gale asks, already knowing the answer from the lack of humming.
“He’s already there,” Mei Lin admits with a sigh. “I can’t help but pity the poor bastard.”
Gale snorts, “Ha! I can. And he’s anything but poor.” The silence asks for Gale to speak again. “Just quit. No one will blame you if you do.”
“I know,” Mei Lin says, looking up at the dark clouds.
“So then why don’t you?” Gale asks.
“Honestly, I don’t know.”
It’s pouring by the time they find a parking spot. As if on cue, the two ladies open the car doors and open their umbrellas simultaneously. Mei Lin is always prepared and Gale likes to avoid the sun and knows by now that weather in Guangzhou can be as unpredictable and ever changing as the Florida from which she had been born and partially raised.
They walk into the dimly lit pub, lit only by soft white florescent tubes and the neon sign on the glass, shaking their umbrellas of excess water as they do so. The two young ladies stop dead in their tracks not even two steps in due to the sight at the bar. Many stop to stare at the odd pair. It’s not every day you seen a foreigner with skin as rich as dark myrtle with her taller than average Asian friend.
While most eyes are on what seems to be the only ladies in the bar, their eyes are fixed on a man in a hoodie hunched over the bar counter, swirling whiskey in a crystal glass. This is the last place anyone would expect someone of such status to be. Surely he has more expensive taste than your neighborhood watering hole. However, the sandy hair, the sharp chin, and even sharper eyes are unmistakable. The stud on his left ear confirms it.
“We should leave,” Mei Lin whispers. Before he notices us.
Gale considers this but all the talk about a dark-skinned foreigner draws Yi Fan’s attention and he turns to the door. “Too late now,” Gale says with a shrug.
Gale ignores the stare Yi Fan has to offer, but Mei Lin acknowledges it with a casual look before turning her attention back to her friend, and then acting as if her boss isn’t there. Gale sits on the other end of the bar, leaving the farthest seat for Mei Lin.
“Any progress on the laser?” Mei Lin asks as she sits down.
“No, the system is completely fried after our latest test. We may have to scrap it because the boss has a new assignment for us—” Gale stops and switches languages, “Two beers.”
“What’s the assignment?” Mei Lin asks, still using English.
“Not sure, but it’s suppose to be for a new client,” Gale says, switching back to English. Her eyes dart quickly over to the blond at the other end of the bar and Mei Lin shakes her head, telling Gale that Yi Fan has yet to meet with the new client. Gale takes a sip of her beer and the bartender hands her a receipt. “Excuse me—”
“Guy down the bar told me you would take care of the tab,” the bartender says, pointing to an empty chair. The three turn to see Yi Fan walking out of the bar and waving for a taxi. “He said you all were friends.”
Gale sneers at the comment and has half a mind to storm after the jackass had it not been for Mei Lin’s hand on her shoulder. “I got it,” Mei Lin says, paying the bartender in cash. “That’s not a tip,” she tells him. “That’s for our drinks as well.”
“Are you going to let him push you around like this? First your laptop and now this? You’re going to be tapped dry pretty soon if this keeps up. He’s the rich—”
“He took a cab here,” Mei Lin says before Gale has a silent ulcer.
“What does that have to do with anything?” Gale asks, taking another sip.
“It’s not hard to track his car. He knows that,” Mei Lin says, taking a sip of her own. She winces at the bitter taste, remembering how terrible beer tastes. “The only reason that he used his car today was to lead me to believe he went off somewhere in the subways in case I was smart enough to get to that point. He wanted to see how I would react once in the station; he wanted a show or a chance to burn some time.”
“Still not getting the point here.”
“If he really wanted to disappear, he would’ve just taken a cab the first time—he was testing me.”
“Maybe you should tell me what all that has to do with the fact that he took a cab to a bar. He was probably smart enough not to drive here seeing how he would have to drive back. What if he wanted to get drunk? The tab was pretty high. Besides, his car isn’t exactly a chameleon and this isn’t exactly a high-end facility—” Gale looks up at the bartender to make sure he doesn’t understand English. “Maybe he didn’t want to be seen here. Mei, I can give you even more reasons that he would take a cab, so please enlighten me as to what you see.”
“Not sure, but something about him—”
“All you know is that maybe he doesn’t want anyone to know where he’s been or where he’s going. Now can we stop talking about that now?”
Mei Lin chuckles at the sound of that request. The clink their bottles and take a long drag. Neither had ever tested their alcohol tolerance before and it isn’t about to start tonight. The ladies leave with their bottles still well over half full and Gale drops Mei Lin back home at her apartment.
At least the rain stopped.
Translations/Author's Notes:
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Yì Fán zài nǎ lǐ? (亦凡在哪里?) = Where is Yi Fan?
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Geely Tiger GT "That came out almost a decade ago," which makes the setting of the story around 2018.
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XinHe (新河 XīnHé; literally "new river") = A subway stop on Line 14 of Guangzhou's Metro, likely to also be a station as it is where one can switch to Line 21. It is four stops from the Taihe district, home of Guangzhou Science City which is where Guangzhou International Business Incubator is located. Both Lines 14 and 21 are currently (meaning 2013) under construction but given the setting/time of the story, let's assume they're up and running.
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