Never Judge

"Cedric." Came Guan Ming's voice over the phone as he tried to suppress a laugh. "The hotel you arranged for me is magnificent, don't tell me this place is yours too."

"It is." Cedric said with a laugh. "But it's not under the Reyes Group, it's a private venture between me and my friends."

"Interesting." Guan Ming told Cedric. "I might do something similar. I want to see if all my success now is just brought about by my name."

"Well, it's an option." Cedric said as he looked out the window..

They were still in the old city where most of the older families lived. It was quite picturesque with its old buildings and ancient walls. 

"I met with Wu Jun today." Cedric finally told Guan Ming.

"Oh." Guan Ming said as he seemed interested by what had happened. "Tell me, is he still a prick?"

"He was trying to get my sister to sleep with him." Cedric groaned.

"He is an idiot." Guan Ming said with a laugh. "Please tell me he did that in front of you, your father, and her husband." 

"He did." Cedric said.

"His dad was a genius, this one was clearly dropped on the head or adopted." Guan Ming told Cedric. 

"He seems to hate you a lot." Cedric pointed out as he recalled his conversation with Wu Jun earlier.

"That's not a surprise." Guan Ming told Cedric. "He isn't exactly happy to have me as competition, especially since I beat him on all fronts."

"Cocky." Cedric hissed under his breath.

"I heard that, Reyes." Guan Ming said as he laughed at Cedric's reaction. 

"So tell me, what exactly did you do to get this young master so pissed off with you?" Cedric asked.

He was eager to find out what was the cause of Wu Jun's and Guan Ming's rivalry. From what Cedric knew, there was barely any chance that Guan Ming and Wu Jun would have interacted before Guan Ming's business started to boom.

"I know you might think that our rivalry is new, but not really." Guan Ming said in a sad tone, clearly there was more to the story than what meets the eye. "Wu Jun and I have actually known each other for a long time."

"Don't tell me this is some sort of love rivalry." Cedric said with a laugh.

"Not really, but it somewhat involves the woman I love." Guan Ming told Cedric, making the former stop laughing.

"Did he take her from you? The one you told me about?" Cedric asked Guan Ming as he sat up.

"No." Guan Ming said. "But he is the reason why I haven't been able to visit her. I told her I would come for her. That I would find a way to be with her, but because of Guan Ming my family interfered, even the media interfered."

"What happened?" Cedric asked.

"Do you remember my situation when we first met?" Guan Ming asked Cedric.

"Yeah, you lied to me and told me that you were an employee helping your boss look for investors." Cedric grumbled. "When in fact the boss was you and you were working on a project your father disowned you for."

"Yeah, the very project that now stands as the foundation for Ming Enterprises." Guan Ming said with a sigh. "That's where I met her. The woman I kept telling you about."

"Will you ever tell me who she is?" Cedric asked.

"Maybe, someday." Guan Ming said in a sad tone. "I can't tell you because she is from this city. If you know her name you will have your people find her. I want to win her back in my own way. Plus she has someone else now."

"I'm sorry, Ming." Cedric said in a sad tone.

"It's fine, she isn't married yet. I'm hoping that when we meet all those emotions from the past will come flooding in and we can finally be together." Guan Ming told Cedric in a hope filled tone. "She waited for me for years, then all of a sudden I find out she's dating someone. It broke my heart."

"She'd be a fool to reject you." Cedric told Guan Ming in the most sincere way he possibly could.

"Anyway, she and Wu Jun are two different stories." Guan Ming said as he steered the topic back on track. "Wu Jun and I went to the same school growing up. It was a private school where children of rich families went, and his father would often compare us."

"So he has daddy issues." Cedric said.

"You could say that." Guan Ming replied with a laugh. "He was always forced to compete with me, even when we were in university and when we entered the workforce. He, of course, worked for the family business while I fought to innovate mine." Guan Ming explained.

Cedric recalled how determined Guan Ming had been when he explained to Cedric why he was thrown out of his family. 

"Things became heated when Wu Jun's father saw my pitch." Guan Ming explained. Cedric had seen this pitch, it was the same one he had shown Cedric when they first became friends.

"Wu Jun's father liked my idea so much that he invested in it." Guan Ming recounted. "He was one of my largest investors for a time and he even took me under his wing. He taught me how he had survived in the business world and thrived."

"So he was jealous of you?" Cedric asked.

"He went as far as accusing me of trying to steal his girlfriend." Guan Ming said with a laugh. "There is only one woman I will ever pine for, and she is way better than his type."

"I hope that woman is worth it then." Cedric said as he smiled. He was surprised at how much his friend could love someone he hadn't seen in almost a decade.

"She is more than worth it." Guan Ming said in a firm tone. "Anyway, eventually my father welcomed me back to our family. I changed the company name Ming Enterprises the moment he installed me as CEO."

"Wu Jun was incredibly jealous, so he decided to spread another rumor, that I had a man in your country." Guan Ming said as he laughed at the thought. "That's why I couldn't even contact her, because my family tried to keep me as far away from your country as possible, that is, until recently."

"When I called." Cedric said with a laugh. "It took a man calling you to get you here?"

"You guys might not be as rich, but there are somethings that my family cannot deny, we need a foothold in your country. Now they think I'm here for Lucius Ting, when in fact I will be working with you." Guan Ming told Cedric.

"And while you are here you will play love sick puppy and chase after a woman." Cedric said as he laughed at Guan Ming. "Good luck."

"Thanks, I should go, I have dinner with Lucius Ting tonight." Guan Ming said as he dropped the call.