Chapter 408 - Respect

Jeremy looked at his phone. 

At first, he wanted to call Mika to ask her whether she knew where Ryn was but... he changed his mind. Mika would only make things worst. She would exaggerate things in her mind and started to freak out. And he had no doubt that Ryn would not give her location to Mika even though Mika is her best friend. Mika would not be able to keep the secret from him, which Ryn knew.

So who should he call to get her location?

Her mom?

But when she went missing last time, even her mom was clueless about where she was. It broke his heart to know she went away without informing anyone. He called everyone and no one knew where Ryn go, even Mei Li who was her manager. It drove him crazy at that time.

And he did not want it to happen again.

Mei Li, his heart whispered. Just now, the manager did call him and informed him about Ryn staying away because of him. He did not believe her before but now...

He sat on the edge of the bed and called Mei Li. Surely the manager would not deliberately ignore his call, would she? He frowned as he waited impatiently.

It took her a few rings before she answered the call.

His eyes narrowed suspiciously. Did she plan to ignore his call but too scared to do so?

"He... hello, Young Master Long?" Mei Li greeted slowly, worriedly. Why would this man call her suddenly? Was he blaming her again when he could not contact Ryn? But it was not her fault! She was just following Ryn's decision. She was innocent in this.

"Mei Li, where is Ryn?" he asked immediately. He ignored the scared tone from Mei Li, dismissing it as unimportant. Nothing else mattered but Ryn.

"Ryn?" Mei Li gulped. She just arrived home and was about to have her shower when Jeremy called. Oh, why didn't she put her phone in her room to be charged? She could pretend she did not hear the ringing.

"Is she at your place?" Jeremy asked, c.o.c.king an eyebrow.

"Ryn? No... she's not," Mei Li shook her head, forgetting she was talking on the phone. When she realized it, she slapped her face without thinking. Why was she so stupid today? Was it because of Ryn?

Ergh... Ryn would be the death of her soon.

"Then, where is she?"

Mei Li scratched her head. How to answer this simple question? Yes, it was simple but if she answered it wrong, she would receive anger from him. She did not want to be scolded. Poor her.

"Mei Li?" he called her name coldly, warningly.

She gulped. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She could not hold this anymore.

"She's not at her home," Mei Li said slowly, carefully.

"Mei Li, I'm at her place right now. Of course, I know she's not here," he barely able to contain his temper when he heard her answer. Was she trying to make a joke?

She shivered when she heard his voice. Oh no, he was angry. What should she do now?

"Mei Li, don't lie to me."

"Ryn said she needs some space," Mei Li said hurriedly.

"Some space?" 

"She asks for your understanding. She needs space to cool down," Mei Li tried to give an excuse. Ryn did not do it to cool down but to think about her relationship with Jeremy. Oh, she was hoping for Ryn not to suddenly decide her relationship with Jeremy was a mistake. 

"Cool down? What do you mean cool down? Hasn't she had enough of cooling down?" he shouted. He could not believe the nerve of Ryn. How dare she say she wanted to have time for cooling down? How long does she need that? He already gave her four hours, well, more than four hours, and still not enough?

Mei Li squeezed her eyes tight as her body shook. Oh no, Jeremy was angry at her. What should she do now?

"Is it so hard for you to tell me where she is, Mei Li?" Jeremy asked between his gritted teeth. This manager seriously was trying to test his limit. Was it so hard for her to just spell it out? Where is Ryn now?

"Please, Young Master Long. Please don't force me," Mei Li begged. She wished she did not suggest to Ryn about talking with Jeremy. She thought he would understand but it seemed like she was totally wrong.

"Mei Li," he warned.

"I'm sorry, Young Master Long. I cannot tell you where she is. All I can say is she will contact you once she is ready. I'm sorry, Young Master. I truly am sorry."

Jeremy stared at his phone in disbelief. Mei Li just hung up again. How dared she!

Without wasting another moment, he called her again. But just like Ryn, Mei Li turned deaf to the ring. However, unlike Ryn, Mei Li did not dare to switch off her phone. She could only silence her phone with her shaking hand.

Jeremy ran his hand through his hair, trying not to pull them in frustration. 

Where could she be? Where was she? Had she lost her mind staying away from home?

He could not understand what inside her mind. Clearly, she was out of her mind. Calming down doesn't need more than an hour or two. Heck, he was calmed in an hour after he reached his office. Of course, his workers were not sharing his thought but was he cared about them?

No.

He only cared about his feeling and hers. Without her, he could not control his temper and lashed out to everyone who made even the smallest mistake. Of course, due to his temper, everyone made sure they did everything as perfectly as possible. They did not dare to send in any work without checking twice or thrice before.

Well, come to think about it, he did contradict himself. The hour he needed to calm down just for her. He still expected a lot from his company. They swore his eyes were staring behind them whenever they were trying to print out their work. It made them check and re-check their work with shaking eyes and hands.

They also did not dare to leave work before their boss. Hence, once their boss left in a hurry, they quickly packed their things and left, holding to their tears of relief.

Jeremy stormed into the bathroom to splash water on his face. He really needed to calm down and think carefully.

Where would she go?

He rested his hands on the basin and took a deep breath. Calm down, Jeremy. Calm down. With a calm mind you could think, he told himself.

He sat back on the edge of the bed and stared at the wall blankly. Where could she go? She could not go far away in just a few hours. And knowing her, she would not cancel her work commitments without thinking carefully.

And... if he remembered Mei Li correctly... she did not mention anything about Ryn going far away. She only said Ryn needed some space to calm down. And if this girlfriend of his decided to go away to calm down, surely Mei Li would stop her. She did not need to move out of the city just to run away from him.

She did not have to do it, he muttered unhappily. She could just tell him and he would respect her. Yes, he would respect her. He loved her too much to lose her again.

He looked at his hands, gripping the blanket so tightly. With a heavy sigh, he uncurled his hands. He did not want to ruin her blanket in a moment of temper.

He threw himself back on the bed and took a deep breath. He could smell her scent, especially when he closed his eyes. It felt like she was closeby. She was next to him.

"I miss you already, Ryn. Where are you?" he murmured unhappily. He pulled the pillow over his face, just to smell her closer. He needed her more than she needed him. And he believed she knew it. But, he did not think she was using his feeling to control him. It was like she did not care about his feeling. The reason why he did what he did. 

"Do you love me as I love you, Ryn?" he asked sadly. But no one answered his question. The room was empty except for him. The whole house was empty except for him.

It broke his heart when he realized she could not say 'I love you' to him. She always spoke of her love to him when they were younger. When he picked her up to go to class. When he sent her home after class. And when they cohabit together, she would whisper her love morning and night.

But now... When he looked at her, hoping for her to say it out loud again, she bit her lower lip and looked away. It hurt. It hurt him so much.

However, he would wait. He would wait for her to open up her heart to accept him back. He would wait for her to smile at him shyly as she said, "J, I love you."

He would wait for that time to come but... please, don't take too long. He did not think he could wait that long.