Perhaps Xie Qian’s phone had simply run out of battery.
Perhaps his phone had malfunctioned.
“Yes, that must be it. Don’t panic… it’s definitely something like that…”
Wen Ying muttered to herself, reciting comforts she didn’t believe for a second.
Why didn’t she believe them?
Because she knew Xie Qian far too well.
Once he had arranged dinner and dropped such obvious hints about confessing, he would account for every possible detail. A dead battery was the kind of oversight that would never, ever happen to Xie Qian.
The last time she hadn’t been able to reach him had been three years ago, during that summer holiday.
That time, he had flown back to Beijing overnight.
So what could it be this time?
There were still five minutes until their agreed dinner time, yet Wen Ying couldn’t wait any longer. Her unease had turned into a violent palpitation, and the hollow feeling inside her chest kept growing.
Telling herself not to panic, she forced herself to stay calm. Her first call was to Jiang Youjia. Skipping all pleasantries, she cut straight to the point.
“Can you reach Xie Qian? He hasn’t arrived where we were supposed to meet, and his phone is off. This isn’t normal.”
Jiang Youjia had been about to tease her, but the words died in his throat.
It really wasn’t normal.
Xie Qian was meticulous about everything. When he was the one who had invited someone, he was always the first to arrive.
Now even Wen Ying, the invited guest, was already at the restaurant, and Xie Qian was nowhere to be seen with his phone switched off?
Jiang Youjia immediately sensed something wrong. “I’ll ring his driver and call you right back once I know what’s going on.”
“Alright.”
Wen Ying suppressed her racing heart and managed to wait two minutes. When Jiang Youjia still hadn’t called back, she rang him again, only to find his line constantly engaged.
That made it even stranger.
What kind of emergency couldn’t be explained in two minutes?
It felt as though an invisible hand had seized her heart and was squeezing tighter. After her third attempt still showed “call in progress,” Wen Ying forced herself to think clearly.
Who else could she call?
While they were in Shanghai, she could try Gong Sheng.
But if even Jiang Youjia couldn’t get answers, would Gong Sheng fare any better?
Then she thought of Xie Yuping.
Thank goodness she still had Uncle Xie’s private number.
Even if it turned out to be a false alarm and she had overreacted, so what?
Compared to Xie Qian’s safety, whether Xie Yuping might think less of her was utterly trivial.
She had never used Xie Yuping’s private number before. He was neither her boss nor a client, so there had been no need for polite check-in calls or messages. This was the first time she had ever rung him.
Thank goodness he picked up after only two rings.
“It’s Xiao Wen. Is something the matter?”
It was Xie Yuping himself, not Zhong Yong. Wen Ying swallowed her sobs and explained in a few short sentences. “…Uncle Xie, something feels very wrong. Please help Xie Qian. I know lots of people, but you’re the only one who can really help him.”
Wen Ying thought she sounded calm enough, but across the line Xie Yuping could hear her teeth chattering.
His own heart tightened, both for the trembling girl on the phone and for his nephew.
“Alright, I’ll look into it at once. Don’t worry. As soon as I have news I’ll have Zhong Yong contact you.”
Xie Yuping’s assurance carried far more weight than Jiang Youjia’s.
Sure enough, half an hour later, Jiang Youjia was still unreachable, but Zhong Yong rang.
He told Wen Ying to go home first.
“Something has come up, but we’re handling it.”
Zhong Yong’s voice sounded normal.
Wen Ying wasn’t reassured in the slightest. “What exactly has happened? Xie Qian’s phone is still off, and no one is picking up for Jiang Youjia. What is going on?”
When Zhong Yong didn’t want to talk, nobody could pry it out of him. He not only urged her to go home and wait, but also asked her not to trouble Xie Yuping again, because this situation was beyond her help and would only delay Xie Yuping’s efforts.
“…Fine. I’ll go home and wait for news.”
She agreed aloud, but her body refused to move.
She no longer had the strength to stand.
The red rose on the table was breathtakingly vivid, yet Wen Ying had no eyes for it.
The surrounding tables remained empty. The live band continued playing softly. The murmured conversations of other diners seemed to drift closer, then far away. The whole world felt unreal.
A waitress approached and spoke to her. Wen Ying could see the woman’s lips moving, but the words didn’t reach her ears.
“I’d like to sit a little longer.”
She heard her own voice. “The person I’m waiting for is still on his way.”
Yes, that was it.
Xie Qian must have been held up by something unexpected. It was fine. She could wait.
Once he had dealt with whatever it was, he would definitely come.
He had said he had a gift for her.
He had said there were things he wanted to tell her.
Wen Ying made up her mind. The moment Xie Qian spoke, she would nod without hesitation. No, why wait for him to speak first? She could beat him to it. There was no rule saying the girl couldn’t confess first!
If neither of them spoke up and kept tiptoeing around each other, they might miss their chance altogether.
He was her boy.
The boy she had looked up to in naive admiration in her previous life, and chased with all her strength in this one. The boy whose distant silhouette had turned into love.
So when she finally saw Xie Qian, she would ask him straight out.
Will you be my boyfriend?
If he dared say no… well, he would have to say yes anyway. Wen Ying decided she wasn’t giving him any more room to retreat.
Imagining his reaction, she couldn’t help smiling.
She thought she was only smiling, unaware how strange she appeared to others. Smiling while silent tears rolled down her cheeks.
The nosy waitress watched from a distance.
As the hour grew later, even her gossiping mood faded. She began to look at Wen Ying with pity.
What was the use of all the romantic preparations? The girl had made countless calls, and the person she was waiting for never came… Perhaps tonight had never been a romantic at all. Perhaps it was a breakup.
Guests left one by one.
The band’s booked time ended.
The waiting staff exchanged glances. Nobody wanted to be the villain who asked her to leave.
She looked so sad.
In the little staff rest area a television was showing the late-night local news.
“At approximately 18:00 local time, a serious traffic collision occurred on XX Road. A lorry struck an oncoming vehicle at high speed… The accident resulted in one fatality and two injuries. The injured were rushed to hospital for emergency treatment. The cause is currently under investigation.”
Another crash.
The city was growing, more cars on the road, more accidents naturally followed.
Hearing that the crash had happened only two junctions from the restaurant, the waitress felt a pang of sorrow for the one death and two injuries.
She hoped the injured pair would pull through.
With that thought, she walked softly over to Wen Ying. “Miss, I’m terribly sorry, but the restaurant is closing…”
Wen Ying raised her head.
Tears streamed silently down her face.
Kiki’s makeup skills really were remarkable. Not a single smudge. It made Wen Ying look both beautiful and heartbreakingly fragile.
The waitress felt a heavy weight settle in her chest and couldn’t understand it.
How could a girl who even cried so politely and prettily be stood up by the “Mr Xie” who had made the booking?
