The Police Report / Recollections of Meeting Her – Part 4
Tuesday, continued…
While Anna was explaining the events to Officer Mu, Hou Yi’s thoughts drifted back to six months ago.
On the drive from Tullamarine Airport to his hotel in Melbourne, Hou Yi spent the time speaking with Assistant Wang about the matters that had come up during their flight from Tokyo. Assistant Wang viewed everything as urgent, but Hou Yi knew none of it truly was. He decided that Assistant Wang needed a break and that he should take a holiday with his wife. While Assistant Wang dismissed the idea, insisting that the long hours he worked were justified by the comfortable lifestyle he provided for his wife and daughter, Hou Yi was conscious of how much time it took away from his family.
Hou Yi spoke up, breaking the silence in the car.
“Assistant Wang, please don’t take this the wrong way, but I feel guilty about how much time I take you away from your family. When we return, we’re going to do two things. First, you’ll have an all-expenses-paid two-week vacation to anywhere in the world you want, with the company jet at your disposal unless something urgent comes up. In that case, you’ll fly first class, of course.”
“Then, when you return, we’ll arrange for an assistant to help you. My preference is for me to handle all the travel while you remain in the office, taking care of matters there. I trust you to manage the day-to-day operations, but since I know you’ll fight me on this, the new assistant will handle most of the travel, lightening your load.”
“But sir, I am your assistant,” Assistant Wang protested.
“Yes, you are,” Hou Yi replied. “But your family is more important than just being my assistant. They should be your world, not just receiving small fragments of your attention. I need you more now with the business expansion at headquarters. You know how many senior executives have abused their privileges when neither of us is around.”
“In fact, most of the senior team is more afraid of you than of me. This isn’t a demotion. You’ll still do everything you’ve been doing—managing my schedule, ensuring I’m where I need to be, and handling the important tasks. Someone else will just take care of the smaller matters while I’m away. And as a token of appreciation, I’ll ensure you receive a 10% pay rise.”
Hou Yi turned his gaze out the window, signaling he didn’t want to discuss the matter further. Assistant Wang, sensing the shift, said, “Sir, let me discuss it with my wife.”
Hou Yi raised an eyebrow. “No. I’m going to speak with her myself, of course with you present. But I will speak with her.”
About ten minutes later, they arrived at their hotel, and Hou Yi couldn’t believe how quickly they had gotten there—it was less than 30 minutes from the airport, a feat that was almost unheard of in Melbourne during that time of morning. Assistant Wang quickly took care of the check-in, and they went up to their suites.
Once inside, Hou Yi ordered orange juice to relax as he prepared for the upcoming meeting. Since both he and Assistant Wang had used the onboard plane showers, they didn’t have much left to do before they left. Hou Yi transferred the documents he had finished working on during the flight into the completed case, leaving only what he needed for the meeting. He drank his juice while waiting for Assistant Wang, and when he entered, Hou Yi handed over the completed briefcase.
Assistant Wang secured the case and, once they were ready, they headed back downstairs to travel to the meeting at ANX Lawyers. During the drive through Melbourne’s chaotic traffic, Hou Yi even wondered if it might have been quicker to walk instead of taking the car. During the journey, he received responses to his earlier text and tasked Assistant Wang with organizing dinner for his four friends. He added, “Please make sure they confirm the time and location.”
“Yes, sir,” Assistant Wang replied, noting down the details of whom to contact to finalize the arrangements.
When Hou Yi stepped out of the car, little did he know that his life was about to change. He was about to meet the woman who would become the most important person in the world to him.
It was at that moment that Hou Yi overheard Anna telling Officer Mu about how they had met and how their relationship had led to marriage. He saw Anna take another sip from the glass in front of her before continuing with her account of the events at the Key Plaza Hotel.
