Too Rich, Too Poor

Chapter 14

Third Person POV

Kit did not know whether to be relieved or to be upset. He decided on just being relieved. Relieved that he did not end up having an aching jaw or a bleeding nose.

The older Daichapanya sprang up from his chair with an aghast look on his face.

"Mingkwan! You better have a really good explanation for what you did just now!"

Ming's father tried to keep his voice low, not wanting to attract the attention of his employees who were tending to his store.

His office was adjacent to the store so it would be easy for the employees and customers to hear any commotions or raised voices.

"No, dad!" said Ming, breathing heavily, "I'm the one who's needing an explanation here!"

Ming watched as his dad handed Kit a box of facial tissues.

"He's just a university student interviewing me for his course requirement," said his father, "why do you have such a strong objection to that?"

"If he was indeed just a university student, I would have no issue with that," said Ming, "the thing is he's been lying to you. He has come to you under false pretenses."

"Please allow me to explain," Kit spoke up.

He had been quiet during the father and son exchange, wiping off the cream from his face, some of the crumbs of the cake inadvertently dropping into his mouth. He had gotten distracted for a few seconds, tasting the deliciousness of the cake. He found himself wiping off the smudge of cream on the side of his cheek, using his finger and putting it into his mouth.

Both older and younger Daichapanya were looking curiously at Kit as he picked up pieces of the cake from his lap and placed them into his mouth, even sticking his tongue to his lower lip to reach some cream that got stuck there.

"What?" Kit asked defensively when he realized that both father and son were staring at him.

Ming found his voice.

"Dad, this is Kit Intochar. He is the son of the owner of the Intochar conglomerate. Does the name ring a bell to you?"

Mr. Daichapanya's eyes grew wide. He slowly walked around from his desk and pulled Kit up from his chair and hugged him tight.

"Dad?!? Dad?!?" Ming was trying to take in what was happening in front of him, especially when he saw his dad's eyes mist over as he hugged Kit as if he would never let go, as if he was a long lost son.

Ming was starting to feel jealous. His dad had never hugged his own son like that before.

"Ming," his dad finally let go of Kit, "I was about to reveal to Kit what his father and I had agreed upon when his father bought my business from me when you barged into the room."

"I'm listening," Ming said grudgingly.

"I agreed to sell my business to his father with one specific condition that he doesn't let on to anyone especially to you, my only son, that the reason for the failure of my business was because I had been making bad business decisions and I did not want you to look upon me as a failure. His father was willing to make himself come out as the bad guy, the picture of a greedy businessman to keep my image respectable in your eyes."

Kit was starting to realize why his father had been very evasive in his answers to Kit's questions.

Kit still thought that in spite of his father's magnanimous gesture towards Ming's father, he still came out as a winner. He had expanded his business once again. It had been a win-win situation.

Kit was taken aback as Ming suddenly disappeared and then came back with a moist face towel and started gently wiping Kit's face and then dusting off his shirt and his pants.

Kit moved backwards quickly when Ming happened to dust him off between his thighs.