New Life : A Second Chance

Sayuri was determined to change.

She had to.

It wasn't just to pass the test, but it was also to improve her character. If she was to be the next CEO, how could she have such a weakness? The company may crash because of her and that would make those people happy.

Those who wanted to put her down. Those that looked down on her. Those that were waiting for her to fail.

Knowing your weakness was the first step in overcoming it. Taking that first step, however, required a lot of effort. Changing your mindset and manner of thinking isn't easy. It's not like one was changing clothes, but changing a basic nature of yours that had gotten a firm grip.

If a person was lazy, and he knows he is lazy, does it mean that he would suddenly be able to become hardworking?

No.

It would take supreme effort to push himself to work hard when his entire being was saying 'sleep' or 'another day'.

It was the same for Sayuri.

She was well aware of the fact it would take a long time for her to truly change, but if she did not overcome it, then she was doomed to fail.

She couldn't afford that.

This was her last chance and she had worked her whole life for it.

How could she not put her all into it?

That's why she had to have those reminders around her. That's why she had to consciously think of her actions and thoughts every day.

In the morning, she would start on her mantra. She would do her meditation while thinking of positive thoughts, of improving herself. Then she'd go for an early morning run before school. At night, she would go through in her mind what she had done and reflect on it.

Was there anything that she could have done better? Did she judge people? Did she analyse properly? She wrote everything down and would review it every day.

It was during one of her mornings run when she discovered that she wasn't the only one doing so. She heard some shouts in the distance and out of curiosity, she headed towards the source of that sound.

It came from the school field.

To her surprise, she saw Kyle and Xing Han running at the tracks. She watched as Kyle was gaining on Xing Han, who was slightly ahead.

"Kyle!" Xing Han was shouting as he panted, "Stop it!!"

Kyle ignored him, laughing as he ran up, smacked him once on the butt then ran off. It didn't take long for Kyle to have made one round and was going to reach Xing Han again. This time, he smacked Xing Han at the back of the head as he passed by.

On the third round, just as Kyle was about to reach Xing Han, Xing Han just slumped on the ground and lay on his back, breathing heavily.

Xing Han had done one round while Kyle had done three.

Sayuri was mesmerized by the scene, much to her consternation. Even after three rounds, Kyle didn't look out of breath and she had seen those powerful legs running smoothly, as if he was gliding.

She felt like she was fangirling over Kyle, something that almost every living person in Sakura Academy was doing - and she didn't like it.

She hid behind the trees, observing them from a distance.

The results of her constant training to improve herself surely bore fruit today. She wasn't as agitated as she normally would have been upon seeing Kyle. During the two weeks that she had been observing Kyle, she acknowledged that he was very skilled and capable.

She remembered the day when she had handed him her report about her future plans.

He returned it the next day and she had been puzzled by it. Why? Was there something wrong with her report? However, when she opened the folder to check, she found that it had small notes written by the side.

Suggestions. Options. Possible solutions.

It wasn't directions or orders.

He had written it in such a way that it was easier to accept. The notes were in green (rather than red), there were no sentences canceled. Just simple notes about the possible routes to take. She was the one that had the freedom to choose what was the best path for her.

The person that she had been seeing as an enemy was actually someone that she should emulate.

That sudden thought had not been well received at first.

The report in her hands was solid proof of his superior knowledge over hers, yet she was still feeling hesitant?

It was like a troubled teen when getting good advice but rejected it simply because it came from his parent, whom he regarded as 'not understanding' him.

Sayuri forced herself to take a deep breath, recited her mantra and read the report again with a clear mind and an open heart.

She did the research and looked up on every suggestion. It was perfectly tailored for her.

She felt ashamed of her earlier resentment.

Kyle obviously knew what he was doing and his proposal was good. Yet, when he had handed her the report, he had done so with a genuine smile and had even said her ambitions were admirable. He wished her all the best and he went and did some other work.

Unlike her, he was humble.

That had been another wake-up call for her and her realisation of Kyle's competency. He truly was a worthy Smith Heir. A capable leader.

Despite her initial negative reaction, she was appeased by the fact that she had not let it impair her judgment again.

So Sayuri decided to take a month to overcome this personal obstacle of hers before starting her mission. After all, she did not want a repeat of the Xing Han episode.

For now, it was simply to observe.

Problem was, she felt she was becoming a 'Kyle' fan.