Man, what's wrong with you?

Jeremy liked to use the power of his high status to put things right. Whatever he had decided, there was no way for him to
change. For this reason, no one could ever say no to him. What he said was law.
An uncomfortable silence fell over the room after his departure. They all looked at each other, bewildered. Then, finally, they
began to chatter about what had just happened.
What could have happened to cause the boss to do something like this?
The office was dead silent when Barry returned. You could've heard a pin drop when he said, "Postpone the meeting."
With a heavy heart, Barry was forced to call Mr. Wu's secretary with the news. "I apologize," he said. "Something urgent has
come up and I'm afraid my boss is unavailable." He sighed and added reluctantly, "We'll have to postpone the meeting until
tomorrow morning."
The secretary replied courteously to him, but made it clear what this setback would mean—the cooperation would likely be
cancelled.
Sherry could feel the medication was working. Her eyelids were becoming heavier by the minute. However, she forced herself to
keep them open and refrained from lying down. She wouldn't be able to sleep that night if she dozed off now.
She wasn't sure if Jeremy would come or not this night. If he came while she couldn't fall asleep, they would stare at each other.
How embarrassing!
The thought of that was almost as embarrassing as what had happened last night. She'd had a moment of weakness, sleeping
with his arms holding her tightly against him. She remembered his skin was burning hot.
She didn't have a good night's sleep, and neither did Jeremy.
She thought she might be able to talk to the nurse when Jeremy was around, but it wasn't so appropriate after all, as the nurse
had far more important things to do.
Her mind wandered as she played absently with her phone. A knock at the door snapped her back to reality.
She took a deep breath in to calm her nerves. "Come in," she said as calmly as she could muster. Her eyes were fixed
quizzically on the door as it opened.
She was relieved to see that it was Chester.

Sherry noted that he was wearing a casual beige suit. 'He looks clean', she thought as he walked towards her. He smiled his
bright, gentle smile like he always did when he saw her. She always felt lighter and happier in his presence.
He was carrying several bags with him. His face lit up as soon as he met her eyes. "Hello!" he beamed.
"Hi," she muttered back as enthusiastically as she could. It seemed too early for him to be here. She checked the time on her
phone for confirmation. 'He isn't meant to be off yet, why is he here?'
He dumped a heavy-looking bag down on the table. His hand had red lines from where it had been cutting into him. She
gestured towards the sofa. "Please sit."
"Let me get you some water," she added. She was about to climb out of bed, but he raised his hand to stop her. "I don't need
water Sherry, just stay in bed and relax."
He grabbed a chair, pulling it right up to the edge of the bed to sit next to her. "Are you feeling any better?" he said softly.
"Oh I'm fine," she said shyly. 'He cares about me,' she thought bashfully. "It hurts, but only a little," she paused. "Mr. Gu, why are
you here? What I mean is, aren't you meant to be at work?"
"Well I just, um, left early," Chester said rubbing his neck and not meeting her eyes. 'I would be here with you every second of
the day if I could', he thought to himself.
He shook his head, as if shaking off the thought. "Like I told you, Sherry, it was just business." He sighed and squeezed his eyes
tightly shut. "You weren't meant to get hurt...I'm not just some money-hungry capitalist!" He had a very serious look on his face
and there was meaning in his words. "I'm going to take care of you, I wouldn't just discard you like you don't matter," he added.
Chester's words left her speechless. She looked at him in disbelief for a few seconds. She had to gather herself to respond.
"Thank you, Mr. Gu!" she stammered. She met his gaze. There was sincerity in her bright, startlingly blue eyes.
"You're welcome. It was nothing, really," he replied quickly. He stood abruptly, walking over to the bag he'd brought. He
rummaged through it and pulled out an assortment of food and books. "I brought you some food, fruit and things like that. There
are some books too. They're all funny ones, so you have something to read when you get bored." He then pulled a knife from the
bag. He busied himself with peeling one of the apples he'd brought her, as he returned to his seat.
"I don't know how to thank you," Sherry muttered. She shrugged, acting helpless, enjoying this unexpected attention.

"By the way there's no need to worry about work either. I've approved your paid leave," he said. "So all you need to do is stay
here and rest."
"That's amazing news, thank you!" She couldn't help but smile at him as she said it.
She had only been working for less than a month. And this was already the second time she had asked for leave. She was sure
Langston would give her the cold shoulder again.
But now she was confused. Did Chester somehow know that Langston didn't like her?
"Your colleagues know that you're injured. They understand the situation," Chester said gently. "They're all just worried about
you. And they won't mind covering your work while you're gone. You just need to look after yourself and focus on getting better,"
he added with a caring smile. He finished peeling the apple and handed it to her.
"They all wanted to come and visit you too. But they didn't want to disturb your rest." He watched her eating the apple he'd given
her and thought how lovely she looked.
"That's okay, I don't need any visitors. I wouldn't want to cause any fuss!" she said timidly. She felt mortified at the thought of
being the center of attention at work.
She had only just moved here and she barely knew anyone at work yet. She wasn't stupid to believe that they did care about her
injuries. They were only acting concerned because she was close to Chester.
"So nobody else visited you today?" he asked.
Sherry couldn't read what he meant by that. The first person that came to mind was Jessie, but she soon forgot about her. "No.
You're the first one," she said nonchalantly.
Chester smiled to himself. He had expected Jeremy to be here when he'd arrived.
But it appeared that Jeremy was not around. He hadn't even visited today.
"Wasn't Jeremy here last night? Has he not been to see you today?" Chester tried to sound as casual as possible.
'Why is he bringing up Jeremy?' She was thrown by his comment. Hearing his name made her frown unconsciously. "He had
something he had to get done at work. He left early."

Chester said nothing. He was clearly unsatisfied with her answer. Eventually she broke the silence and made small talk. She
completely ignored anything about Jeremy.
She took a book from the big bag. Eating her apple, she giggled to herself as she read. To Chester she seemed so innocent at
that moment. There was a wonderful purity to her laughter.
'Is she Jeremy's wife?'
Sherry had been occupying his thoughts since last night. He was so curious. But should he ask her now?
No, he'd better leave it. Besides, if she hadn't mentioned anything about it then she must be trying to hide it. Perhaps because
they were having problems. Plus, he couldn't trust Jeremy fully. There was no guarantee that he was telling the truth.
His best hope would be to ask her.
His inner conflict over this was interrupted when she spoke. "Mr. Gu, did Beisy buy these?" she asked. "You just don't seem like
the kind of person who would buy a book like this." She read another funny joke. But she didn't dare to laugh too hard in case
she reopened her wound.
Chester smiled at her. She knew him better than he thought. "Yes it was Beisy."
"I knew it," she said with a cheeky grin. She finished off her apple, smirking at the book. But she still felt hungry. She was grateful
when Chester pulled a vacuum flask from the bag. Removed the cup from it, he gently said, "I made this porridge earlier. But it
might be cold by now."
Sherry salivated at the delicious smell. It wafted from the cup as he opened it. He poured its contents into a small bowl.
The porridge had dates in it, as well as sticky rice. She couldn't help but compare it to Jeremy's porridge. His wasn't nearly as
good as this!
The porridge was hearty and flavorful. She gobbled down a big bowl of it, feeling full and satisfied when she was finished.
It tasted so much better than pork liver porridge in the morning. That stuff made her face turn as pale and she had to force it
down.
Jeremy pulled up at the hospital. As he parked he saw a familiar car coming towards him. He recognized it immediately.
As Steve closed his car door he noticed Jeremy, standing not too far from him. He had an obscure look on his face.

"Hi Jeremy. Are you also here to visit Sherry?" Steve asked in a friendly tone.
"Yes," Jeremy replied flatly.
"Great. We can go up together," Steve said. He was carrying a big pile of things in his arms.
Jeremy followed him inside in silence. He stared coldly at the items Steve was carrying. He could feel his blood slowly starting to
boil inside him.
"The wild kitten is injured. I wonder if she still bites like she did before," Steve murmured with a sigh.
He still remembered the way Sherry had bitten him. He had not forgotten the pain that had accompanied it.
"I guess the only way you'll find out is if you let her bite you again," Jeremy snapped back at him, with an icy tone.
Steve's eyes widened. "Let's not talk about this now. You've been with her the whole time. How is she? I mean, is she any
better?"
"You'll know when you see her." Jeremy replied, still sounding venomous.
Not knowing why, Steve was upset. Jeremy had been in such a bad mood recently. Even he wasn't able to understand Jeremy
sometimes, least of all right now.
Steve thought how pathetic Jeremy's employees were. They had to put up with such a boss.
Steve had gotten back to the party late last night. Most of the people were gone by the time he'd arrived. Only his good friends
remained.
When he had finally returned from the hospital, his remaining friends had tried to cheer him up with alcohol. They forced him to
drink way too much. He drank himself into a stupor. He had only just surfaced from a long, and much-needed, sleep.
The first thing he had done when he woke up was to drive to the hospital. He wanted to see Sherry.
Despite having a severe hangover and throbbing head, he got to the hospital in no time. All thanks to his speedy driving.
He had been so busy recently. This had been the first chance he'd had to visit Sherry. He felt anxious. The elevator seemed to
take forever, and all he wanted to do was ask Jeremy how she was. But after seeing the look on Jeremy's face, Steve decided

against it. He should rather go up and see her on his own.
"Really?" Sherry was shocked. "You and Jay were classmates? But you can't be. He looks so old!" Sherry continued to chat with
Chester, laughing and smiling. She had no idea that Steve and Jeremy were on their way to see her.
"I haven't spoken to him in a long time. I didn't think that he would be willing to help me after all this time." Chester remained as
gentle as before.
It was at this moment that the door opened again. The voice that came from behind it was so soft that Sherry didn't pay any
attention to it. She was so immersed in something funny that Chester was saying. She smiled fondly at him.
Jeremy and Steve entered the room. They caught sight of Sherry laughing happily as they did.
They took in the scene. Sherry unconsciously tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear. Her face was ruddy, and she had a
book balanced on her knee. The man sitting at her bedside was none other than Chester.
Chester had not noticed the two men coming in. He was too busy trying to think of funny things to say to make Sherry laugh.
'She's smiling because of something another man had said to her', thought Jeremy. It made him feel like he'd been punched in
the stomach. His eyes went dark, the pain washing over him like a wave.
'Why do you look so happy with him, Sherry?' he thought to himself. 'She seems so happy around him, but treats me with
disdain. Why do I make her so unhappy?
I gave her my heart, but she pushed me away. Yet Chester can make her smile so easily. She barely even knows him! How
could she forget the love she once felt for me?
And to think I gave up a business deal worth over ten million. I ruined business relations with Mr. Wu. All for her! I got in my car
and drove to the hospital as fast as I could because I didn't want her to be here alone. And when I finally get here, she's with
Chester. She looks at him the way she used to look at me.'
At that moment, Jeremy's heart ached more than it ever had before. This was cruel. He could feel the anger burning inside him.
Again, Sherry had successfully managed to enrage him. She had a talent for it. It was so easy for her to break his heart over and
over again.