Pinnacles' Edge

After attentively listening to the whole story Cao Gao told, Xi Jingfei still didn't come out of her serene mien. She just closed her almond shaped eyes biting her cupid arrow lips, for a few minutes as if calming down the tornado inside herself, and then opened the eyes with such an expression that Cao Gao couldn't guess what was going on in her mind. Xi Jingfei then curiously asked him,

"You said I earned your respect. Was it because I was the Young Miss of the Zins? When was our second meeting?"

Cao Gao was quite taken aback by her sudden change of attitude or maybe because he was expecting a greater reaction from the girl, yet he couldn't help but venerate her presence of mind. Had it been someone else, after hearing such things, they would rather focus on knowing about the Zins in detail, and then there was this girl, who was keener on knowing when they had met the second time and when was the time she earned his respect.

Cao Gao: "After leaving you with the Xis, I still wanted to keep protecting you from the shadows, but couldn't do so. Zin Qianfan had somehow found me. Had I stayed back, that would endanger your life, so I left to another city in order to distract Zin Qianfan's attention from you and to misguide him so that you can be safe and sound. I travelled across the country and sometimes even went abroad to keep leading him here and there while you keep growing just fine with Xis."

"Through my travels I came across different people and had already formed that illegal firm, you came to the other day, so that in case of need I've enough resources to back you up. Even though the Zins had been paying me all along and they were powerful but your uncle was no less and they didn't have any solid evidence against your uncle and that's why weren't able to help eradicate him completely. So, of course I'd to keep my options open to help you in need."

"I came back to find you a few years later after I'd left. You had already grown up and were in your high school."

"A peon in your school, Mr Zhao, wasn't letting his daughter study due to lack of funds while his two sons were happily wasting his hard-earned money on gambling and other stuffs. When you got to know about it, you paid for the girl. Not from your father, Mr Xi's money but by finding her a sponsor. That peon was someone I knew so we once came to you to express our sincere gratitude. That was when you earned my respect. And that was our second meet."

Xi Jingfei: "Now that you mention it, yes, I do remember Mr Zhao though I still quite recall your face, but there was more to it. I coincidentally met Zhao Li, that young girl, in one of the shops in the market place. She was dressed in a cheap plain frock while next to her stood her two brothers, wearing not that cheap of clothes as their sister. The two boys were even ordering her around as if she wasn't their sister but a maid, saying it loud that they went to a school while she didn't, so how could she compare to them. Standing aloof next to her they were as proud as a king could be in front of common people. I quite didn't like their attitude. But the next moment surprised me even more. Soon as the shop keeper gave them their commodities, he was taking out calculator to count the price. But this little girl was quick with numbers like a human calculator. I was quite impressed. I made my way to them and had a conversation with the girl,

"I've been watching the whole time. It looked like you don't go to school while your brothers do. Why?"

"Zhao Li was quite taken aback by my question. It was a stranger asking her, so of course as taught at home, she let her guard up. Girls are usually taught to not talk with strangers. I could see it all over her face, her confused expression, her guarding against me and also the irony of the question. But soon she said,

"My family isn't flourished enough…"

"For the rest of the things she didn't want to disclose and thus left. I didn't know what more could I say so I too left the matter at that. "

"It was later that I found out that she was Mr Zhao's daughter. Getting the gist of the situation the Zhaos were in, and also because I had already seen her capabilities earlier, I wanted to help Zhao Li pay her tuition fee so she can go to school again. I came back home intending to ask Dad for money but things didn't go as planned as I overheard his conversation with Mom. Dad had paid for an operation of some boy back in his hospital that cost him a fortune but he willingly did it as he had already paid mine and Melodrama Baby, I mean Bro Jiang's fees in advance and had no further costly dealings in the near future. Dad had always taught us to fight for what we believe in and also to return the society in some way. Given that he didn't have much money but I still had it set in my mind that I was going to pay the school fees for Zhao Li, I took a part time job."

"Though it didn't paid me as much as needed but being a newspaper agency, it gave me enough contacts and exposure to a lot of wealthy people who could pay for the girl. Subsequently, I found her a sponsor who bore all her educational expenses and given her sharp, curious and dedicated mind, she didn't let us down. Later Zhao Li won many awards and was even sent abroad for further studies. Even until recently, she kept in contact with me, showing her thankfulness every now and then and also asks for guidance when needed. Though I didn't pay for her myself but yes, I served as a mediator and so was my work at that news agency."

"You know I really used to feel proud when anyone said, I was just like my Dad. Though I knew it all along that I was adopted but as they never let me feel an outcast, I had already thought of him and the family as mine. And now, no matter what you say, no matter how the world sees it, and no matter how the Zins think about it, but to me, my true family will remain Xis, my true father will remain Mr Xi Xuan and also the rest of the relations."

....

Suddenly Jingfei stood up from her seat as if got reminded of something and looked through the newspaper once again. One of the headlines caught her attention. It wasn't about herself but her biological parents. The Zins were opening a new branch in the city and it had a grand opening in a few days. All the media outlets were giving as much as updates about the event as possible, for whenever the Zins were mentioned, their popularity would attract a lot of public interest. Digging her eyes deeper in the photos printed, she asked Cao Gao out of the blue,

"Do they ever ask about me? My biological parents, I mean. Do they know how I look? Do they know anything about me as a person?"

Her direct approach to such a heart touching question had rendered Cao Gao a little nervous. He wasn't able to make an eye contact with the girl.

As if could see through his soul, the girl simply went to the door and gestured him to leave. Even though it was today that she had found her roots, but the thought of them not knowing her at all still made her feel wronged.

Even though her soul was sinking, her heart felt like someone had stabbed her with a sharp sword, but as usual, she didn't show any weakness or say expressions at all. This was rather a more dangerous situation, when she chose to hide away her emotions. Cao Gao felt as if he had wronged her but not saying anything could make it worse to bring her back to where she belonged. So he spoke before departing,

"They want to know about you more than anyone but they are afraid to give a weapon in Zin Qianfan's hands. If anyone leaks out your photos or information to him, you will again be in great danger. That's something no one wants. So, unwillingly they keep their love bottled up. Yes, they have never seen your pictures for once, they don't know you as a person, they don't even know where you grew up and what you did all these years, but not because they don't want to or love you but because they care for you more."

After their conversation ended, Cao Gao parted his ways, leaving her with the packet containing her ID card, visa and passport. Cao Gao had a hunch that the demeanour of the girl was rather cold and the aura she imitate in this very moment was dangerous but he had to leave her for now anyway, inside he had already decided to keep a watch on her in case his instincts are correct.

But not even in the wittiest of his dreams had he thought she could take such a step without him noticing it. He had never thought Xi Jingfei could be so decisive and swift in her actions that could leave him with no solutions. He would be at the ends of his wits, was something someone as capable as Cao hadn't never imagined.