Mr. Tycoon's Daring Wife

"What’s the task?" Yu Pingluo curiously asked, running a hand through his messy hair.

When one of the women reached over to tease him, he stood up in his naked glory and made his way to the bar counter of his presidential suite of a hotel owned by none other than Zhao Corporation. He must admit, their hotels always had the best hospitality, security, and services.

Speaking of the Zhaos, he recalled Yang Feng’s new lover was Zhao Lifei, who was rumored to be the most likely candidate for inheriting the majority of Zhao Moyao’s fortune and position. She was also the closest friend of the woman whose face ran through his mind like a broken record, day and night. Just the thought of her was enough to break his heart, forcing him to swagger his way to the Russian Vodka selection.

"Scope out high-security houses."

Yu Pingluo nearly dropped the skull bottle of vodka in his hand. Did his boss just send him, one of the best assassins known to the Underworld, on a mission to look for houses? "Uh, Boss, I’m sure your secretary, what was his name, Chen... Well, whatever it is, I’m sure he would be better at seeking out houses."

"He’s handling another task."

Yu Pingluo opened his mouth to object, but Yang Feng had already hung up the phone. He let out an irritated groan. "The boys are gonna get a laugh out of this." He muttered to himself. "An SS-class assassin taking the job of a real estate agent." He scoffed, chugging the burning hard-liquor straight from the bottle instead of using a shot glass.

He relished the burning sensation that traveled down from his throat to his chest. It numbed the stabbing pain in his chest and sent him on a euphoric high, suitable for having a couple more rounds with the exotic beauties in his bed.

- - - - -

Yang Feng connected the charging cord to his phone and then set it down on his nightstand. He turned back to Zhao Lifei who was still sound asleep. His frigid and glacial expression melted upon seeing she had inched closer to him in her sleep. He gently rubbed her cheeks and bent down to press a loving kiss to the marshmallow-like surface.

"Goodnight, my love." He whispered, climbing under the blankets. His lips twitched when she abruptly changed her position. With her back facing him, she was curled into a small ball.

He shook his head in amusement and reached over to pull her back. He proceeded to cage her within his arms, spooning her gently. She let out a small noise of protest, but in the end, relished and melted in his arms, scooting back a bit.

"...Feng..." She mumbled in her sleep, startling him.

"Yes, my love?" He sat up a bit to see if she was awake, but her eyes were still gently shut. With her brows slightly furrowed, she was deep asleep.

"Feng...Feng..."

Yang Feng’s curious expression shifted. He was taken aback by the familiar nickname she used to utter in her past. What was she dreaming about? He watched her lips move as if she was having a conversation with someone, but nothing came out.

His heart drummed in anticipation. Was she beginning to remember her past? Speaking of which, he had yet to discover the reason for her amnesia. He thought he might’ve concluded, but after attempting to dig deeper, he stumbled across dead-ends in the form of murdered scientists and doctors. Not a single trace was left behind, forcing him to have a very particular person in mind.

- - - - -

Dreamland.

Everywhere Zhao Lifei glanced, she could only see heavy, white fog. She could feel herself walking and walking, but did not know where her legs were taking her. Eventually, she stumbled upon a fuzzy portal of some sort. When she took a better look, she realized it was a blurry garden... For odd reasons, it gave a feeling of deja vu, as if she had stumbled across it before. She jumped when something clothed in light pink dashed before her.

She walked closer to the portal and blinked. She was startled to find herself in the very garden, her feet rooted to the ground. She could not move, much less take a step forward to explore this place.

A little girl ran past her, squealing and giggling with a straw hat in her hand. There was an adorable ribbon wrapped around the hat. Dressed in an airy pink dress, she had features resembling a porcelain doll, the kind you’d beg your mothers to have.

Zhao Lifei easily recognized this girl. It was her younger self. Seeing the youthful glimmer in the bright-eyed child whose entire being glowed with innocence, Zhao Lifei felt her heart tear in two. This event must’ve taken place before she was corrupted by society and tossed into a world of scheming relatives who preferred your death than your birthday.

"Fengfeng!" The little girl excitedly called out a name, tumbling out of a maze. She expected to see the usually gloomy boy sitting beneath a parasol with a book or pen in hand. He was usually rooted to the chair, enjoying the breeze and calming scent of the garden, but today, he was nowhere to be found.

The young girl’s happy smile slipped. Where did he go? He was always here... Be it rain or shine, he was always doing something out here. "Fengfeng?" She confusedly called out, a tiny pout resting on her lips. She glanced around the maze.

Zhao Lifei’s heart jumped when she made eye contact with the little girl who ran straight towards her. She expected the child to collide into her body, but instead, she dashed right out of her.

"Fengfeng, where are you?" The little girl hugged the straw hat closer to her, tears welting in her eyes when she was met with silence. "Y-you promised to tell me something today..." She kicked a pebble close to her. She sniffled and her bottom lip quivered.

She ran towards the garden doors in hopes of finding him there but found it was locked.

Zhao Lifei cocked her head. Fengfeng. Who exactly was she referring to? It sounded like a nickname suitable for Yang Feng, but then again, it could be someone else. It was too strange for her to have known Yang Feng in her youth, for she had no recollection of him.

Just then, a shrill voice broke through the clearing. "Lifei, get back here! Little wench, didn’t I tell you to not run off without me?!" Wang Nuoli angrily screeched, stumbling to the naughty little girl. Damn it! These were her new Jimmy Choos! And now she was staining the white shoes from the grass and soil in the gardens.

The small Zhao Lifei stiffened at the sound of her mother’s angry voice. She sullenly walked back to Wang Nuoli, but apparently, she was not walking fast enough. In the next second, Wang Nuoli had angrily snatched the child by her stubby little hands.

"Ow! Mommy, you’re hurting me!" The little girl cried out in pain when she was roughly yanked by her arms, nearly detaching the limb from her body.

"Shut up! I told you to not run off and what did you do?! The exact opposite! I went through so much trouble to have you, the least you can do is not stress me out. Why must you misbehave so much? Don’t you know these are my new shoes?!" Wang Nuoli rambled, ignoring the fact that she was leaving a bruise on the child’s flesh.

"Useless, I tell you, you’re useless! How dare you run from the piano teacher? Madam Yang was gracious enough to introduce us to a good friend of hers, and you just had to embarrass me."

"B-but I-I wanted to see Fengfeng..." The little girl sniffed, stumbling over her feet. "Ow!" She yelped when she fell over, scraping her knees, but Wang Nuoli did not care. She continued to drag the child behind her, even when the rough grass was damaging her legs.

"I hate children! So annoying." She hissed, turning around to see how much of a clumsy mess her daughter was. "Why do you always have to cause me trouble? Can’t you walk properly?!"

"I-I’m sorry mommy..." The little girl dropped her head, hiding the tears that streamed down her chubby cheeks, resembling freshly steamed buns. No one ever wiped away her tears, except Fengfeng...

"M-mommy, where is Fengfeng? He promised to see me today."

Wang Nuoli became quiet. She always hated the fact that this girl was so good at speaking, despite her young age. She pronounced most words nearly perfectly and was branded a prodigy by many people. But such titles were annoying and she’d prefer Zhao Lifei to be known for something else.

She opened her mouth and closed it. Grounding her teeth, she hated the fact that she had to answer to someone else. This morning, she was notified to keep her mouth shut about the entire ordeal. And because the people instructing her to do so had the power to destroy her, she could do nothing but oblige. "I do not know where he is." She lied.

The little girl frowned. "B-but I thought adults knew everything..."

"Well, they don’t. Now, shut up and stop talking back before I smack you again. We don’t want that now, do we?" Wang Nuoli scowled when she saw the scrapes and cuts on Zhao Lifei’s legs. Ugh, what a dirty child she was. "What happened to your dress and legs?"

"W-well you were pulling me a bit too hard—"

PAK!

A loud slap rang throughout the gardens. The little girl fell on her buttocks, grasping her bruising cheek. Tears trickled down her eyes, but she bit her bottom lip and kept her cries inside. She knew she would only get smacked harder if she cried out.

"What did I say about talking back?! How dare you blame me for something I didn’t do? Pulling you too hard? You think that can give you scrapes?!" She screamed, her face turning different shades of red from the false accusation.

"Just wait until your father gets home." She snarled, yanking the child to her feet before dragging her out of the garden and tossing her into a car. She slammed the door shut and then climbed into a different car of higher luxury than the one her daughter was in.

"Drive back to the main mansion." She hissed at the driver who nodded his head, his eyes landing where the Young Miss was seated, through the rearview mirror.

He could not see the little girl’s tiny head, which was always visible wherever she was sitting. His heart wrenched in pain. She must’ve been lying down on the leather chair, crying by herself. Such a bright and cheerful child...He truly feared for her. With how horrible her parents were, he wondered how long it would take for that gleaming light to disappear from her eyes... He held back the sigh threatening to leave his mouth. Wordlessly, he started the car.