Wen Ying was nervous, and Xie Qian was no calmer.
Xie Qian had a touch of obsessive-compulsive cleanliness. He could not bear his clothes to be anything less than spotless or to carry any odour. To give the housekeeper ample time to maintain his wardrobe and ensure he always had fresh, impeccable outfits, Xie Qian owned far more clothes than the average young man his age.
Having so many clothes yet not wanting the hassle of mixing and matching, his wardrobe consisted entirely of classic basics.
He would buy multiple identical shirts from the same brand in one go, mostly in safe low-saturation colours that would never looked wrong, no matter the occasion.
The habit was perfectly fine.
Especially when he was away from home, these timeless pieces saved him endless trouble. Both his hotels and offices kept stocks of them, ready for an instant change.
Depending on the event, he only had to adjust the layering or jacket. It might not be striking, but it was never a misstep.
Not standing out was exactly what he wanted. Xie Qian preferred people to pay less attention to his appearance.
Yet today, after arranging dinner with Wen Ying, he stood in front of the temporary wardrobe at Jiaxin, picking fault with everything.
Would black be too sombre?
White looked too plain.
It couldn’t be too mature.
But it couldn’t lack gravitas either.
Jiang Youjia came in with documents and caught Xie Qian frowning deeply at the open wardrobe.
Xie Qian had already mentioned dinner with Wen Ying, so Jiang Youjia guessed the gift was finally going to be presented.
How rare. Xie Qian actually worrying about what to wear!
“Go with white. It’s summer, white looks fresh.”
Jiang Youjia offered the suggestion while desperately trying not to laugh.
Holding in laughter was hard work. What if Xie Qian took offence and docked next year’s bonus as well?
Xie Qian’s expression was unusually awkward. “I’m thinking about something else.”
“Right, right, of course. Carry on thinking… but definitely don’t wear black, it’ll make you look old.”
A date wasn’t a business meeting. Why dress so formally?
Feeling like an experienced elder offering advice, Jiang Youjia placed the files on the desk and fled before Xie Qian could lose his temper.
Left alone, Xie Qian stared at the wardrobe a little longer, then took out a brand-new white shirt.
White really was suitable for summer.
Hang on, was his hair a bit too long?
He glanced at his watch.
There was a high-end salon not far from the office. He could still fit in a haircut and reach the restaurant on time.
The company had its own stylists, but Xie Qian didn’t want Jiang Youjia’s teasing, so he decided against using them.
Before leaving, he changed into the new shirt and remembered to pick up the gift for Wen Ying.
At Tianjiao.
Thanks to Li Mengjiao’s heads-up, makeup artist Sister Kiki went all out and gave Wen Ying an exquisitely subtle look.
“This makeup is bulletproof. Someone could throw a bucket of water over you and it wouldn’t budge!”
Kiki was extremely proud of her work. Wen Ying was speechless. “Sister Kiki, why are you assuming someone’s going to throw water at me?”
Kiki gave an awkward laugh. “Oh, just an example, just an example.”
Having such a handsome boyfriend meant being mentally prepared. If Xie Qian’s admirers found out, tonight Wen Ying might not just risk a splash of water. An extreme one might even throw acid!
Pah, pah, pah!
Kiki mentally scolded herself for jinxing it, then studied Wen Ying’s face one last time. “Perfect. Absolutely perfect!”
In the entertainment industry full of stunning beauties, Wen Ying’s looks were outstanding among ordinary people but only just passed muster among celebrities.
So what?
Those prettier than Wen Ying didn’t necessarily have her talent.
That talent was how she made her way in the world. Even without beauty, even after family disaster, Wen Ying could always rise again on her own ability.
So in Sister Kiki’s eyes, once polished a little, Wen Ying became completely captivating.
Wen Ying looked up. In the mirror her cheeks were flushed, the pink spreading all the way to the corners of her eyes.
“Sister Kiki, did you overdo the blusher?”
Kiki checked the palette, then Wen Ying’s face. “No way. Today’s look is light, I barely touched the brush to your cheeks. Look closely, the blusher shade is different from your natural flush… you’re just really red today.”
Why was she so red?
Wen Ying suspected Kiki had seen straight through her nerves.
Fortunately Li Mengjiao burst in hugging two new dresses and rescued her with a grin. “It’s the heat! I’ve been saying the office air-con’s broken, it’s not cooling at all!”
Perfect excuse. Wen Ying nodded quickly. “I’ll get someone to service it tomorrow.”
The air-con wasn’t cool enough?
Kiki hadn’t noticed while working, but now she had finished she felt the cold air on her shoulders and wondered about grabbing a cardigan. Hearing Wen Ying and Li Mengjiao sound so serious, she started doubting her own senses. Heavens, she wasn’t even thirty yet. Was she already bad with cold?
Makeup done, dress changed, and despite Kiki and Li Mengjiao showering her with compliments, Wen Ying’s nerves didn’t ease one bit.
The closer it got to dinner time, the more nervous she became.
Honestly, two lifetimes and she was still this much of a coward?
Xie Qian was always so composed. He definitely wasn’t nervous right now.
Wen Ying grumbled to herself, unaware that fate is fair in such matters. At this very moment Xie Qian was just as anxious.
After the stylist finished Xie Qian’s hair, the salon erupted in flattery about how handsome he looked, yet Xie Qian felt doubtful.
Perhaps deciding to get a last-minute haircut had been a mistake. Everyone says a new cut looks bad for three days, and now no matter how he looked at it his hair seemed off.
But there was no time left to fix it.
You can’t glue the cut hair back on, and he certainly wasn’t going to detour to a mall for a wig.
Tonight was too important. A perfectionist like Xie Qian would never be late.
Leaving the salon, he rang the restaurant again to triple-check the table was reserved, the menu correct, and that a small vase with a single rose would be on the table.
He made the restaurant manager nervous.
“Are you proposing, sir? If so we can arrange a live band~”
“…It’s not a proposal.”
A live band?
No, too ostentatious. Wen Ying probably wouldn’t like it.
Before setting off Xie Qian texted Wen Ying to say he was on his way.
“I’ve left too. The restaurant you chose is nicely central, we should arrive around the same time.”
A smile appeared on Xie Qian’s face.
Now he had made up his mind there was no backing out.
He got into the car, glancing occasionally at the beautifully wrapped gift box.
He hoped his little hamster would like the present.
Of course, even if she didn’t, it was fine. They had their whole lives ahead. He would give her countless more gifts.
Wen Ying also hated being late and left early on purpose.
For once the roads were completely clear.
She arrived before Xie Qian.
The waiter showed her to the table Xie Qian had booked. Cream lace tablecloth, a simple white porcelain vase holding one vivid red rose.
Xie Qian hadn’t booked the entire restaurant, there were other diners, but several tables around theirs were empty. Whatever he planned to say tonight, it would be private enough.
Wen Ying texted to ask how far away he was. Xie Qian replied, “Two more junctions.”
He was waiting at traffic lights.
The moment he sent the message his phone rang.
That number, of all the times it could have rung, it chose now.
He hesitated for two seconds, then answered.
“The DNA results are in. Sample 2 has no parental relationship with sample 1. Sample 3 does have a parental relationship with sample 1…”
Hearing that sample 2 was not related, Xie Qian felt a pang of disappointment. Then the news that sample 3 was related made him sit bolt upright.
At that exact second the light turned green. His car had just pulled away when a small lorry hurtled from the opposite direction, completely out of control.
Crash.
The violent impact sent his phone flying. Car and driver spun wildly. The last thing Xie Qian saw was the ruined gift box beside him.
Crimson stained the pristine white velvet.
What a shame.
He hadn’t given her the gift.
He hadn’t confessed.
As consciousness faded, Xie Qian seemed to see Wen Ying pulling open the car door.
She took his hand, and together they ran forward with big strides.
Just like that summer three years ago when they fled security at Rongcheng Conservatory of Music, holding hands as they dashed along corridors and across the sports field.
The breeze ruffled his hair.
His girl held his hand and ran with him through their vivid, colourful youth.
…
Back at the restaurant.
Soft music began to play.
A waitress whispered enviously to the floor manager, “So the guest did book the live band after all? Not a proposal, yet making such a fuss.”
He had hired musicians and half-booked the room. Not too noisy, not too empty.
The manager warned her against gossiping about guests.
Wen Ying, the very guest they envied, kept checking her watch from nerves and felt an inexplicable growing unease.
She rang Xie Qian. The automated voice said, “The number you have dialled is switched off.” Her irritation turned to a pounding heart.
Xie Qian would never switch his phone off at a time like this!
