Wen Ying could not remember how she got back to the hotel.
She thought she had slept for a while, yet it felt as though she had not slept at all.
She had promised Zhong Yong she would not disturb Xie Yuping again. The next morning there was still no word from Xie Qian.
She could not help herself and rang Zhong Yong.
Wherever he was, the background was first noisy, then suddenly, completely silent.
Zhong Yong’s tone did not sound heavy. He explained, “It’s a business matter. Young Master Xie flew abroad overnight. He had meant to let you know and rearrange, but there was a problem with his phone… He’ll probably be away for some time.”
What kind of business emergency required Xie Qian to leave the country overnight?
Jiaxin had no overseas operations.
Their logistics company focused mainly on the Yangtze Delta region and had no international freight.
Zhong Yong really was a terrible liar.
Saying Xie Qian had rushed abroad for business was less convincing than saying he had gone to collect evidence after receiving the DNA results. Sara Zhuo and her son had already returned to China, and Zhang Zhijun still had business abroad. Was Xie Qian chasing leads on Zhang Zhijun?
Perhaps Zhong Yong had not lied at all. Perhaps he genuinely did not know Xie Qian had been secretly arranging paternity tests.
Xie Qian was locked in a silent battle with Zhang Zhijun.
Yet none of it added up. No matter how urgent or dire the situation, Xie Qian would never simply abandon Wen Ying at the restaurant without a word and leave her waiting until closing time.
Even if his own phone had broken, did the driver’s phone break too?
And even if the driver’s phone was also broken, Shanghai was full of public telephones.
If there had been no time on the road, there were always telephones at the airport.
Whether domestic or international, flights never boarded at the very last second. There was always a little spare time while waiting at the gate.
Zhong Yong’s story was riddled with holes so obvious that even Li Mengjiao would have questioned them.
Yet Wen Ying seemed to exhale in relief. “Oh, I see. As long as he’s safe. When he’s back I’ll make him treat me properly to make up for last night. Secretary Zhong, tell me, who on earth behaves like Xie Qian? He asks a girl to dinner, stands her up, and then makes her pay the bill… Good thing I had my bank card with me, otherwise I wouldn’t even have been able to leave the restaurant!”
Zhong Yong fell silent, seemingly at a loss for how to defend Xie Qian’s behaviour.
After a long pause, Wen Ying ended the call herself.
Her phone rang all day.
Yuan Fengwei, Li Mengjiao, Wang Shuang, their old form teacher Lin Lin Lin, even Chen Ru. Everyone seemed to know Xie Qian had stood her up.
Wen Ying answered every call and told everyone it was nothing.
“It was only dinner. No big deal. We can do it another time.”
She was puzzled why the news had even reached Chen Ru. Who on earth had such a big mouth?
But the gaokao was over, and Manager Chen no longer cared whether Wen Ying and Xie Qian dated. She was simply worried about Wen Ying’s feelings.
“I’m perfectly fine.”
In truth Wen Ying had not eaten a thing all day, yet she felt no hunger.
That evening she rang Zou Weijun. “Auntie Zou, Secretary Zhong told me Xie Qian had to fly abroad and his phone broke. I don’t know if his plane has landed. Have you heard from him?”
Zou Weijun seemed unsure what to say.
After three or four seconds of silence she answered softly, “It was very sudden. I’m sorry on Xie Qian’s behalf for leaving you waiting so long. Don’t worry, his plane landed safely. Once he gets a local SIM…”
“As long as he’s safe. He should focus on whatever he needs to do. I’m in no hurry!”
Wen Ying cut her off.
Before Zou Weijun could continue, Wen Ying laughed brightly. “Auntie Zou, you mustn’t worry either. No matter how big the problem, it will be solved eventually. While he’s abroad, please take good care of yourself.”
On the other end Zou Weijun seemed to choke back a sob. Or perhaps it was Wen Ying’s imagination.
She had not slept properly the night before, so spending the whole day in a daze, with ringing ears and auditory hallucinations, was only natural.
Time stretched like the final sticky thread of candyfloss when the machine stops. Long, clinging, endless. After another silence, Zou Weijun finally replied.
“I will look after myself. I know you’ve always been more mature than your peers, so you’ll look after yourself too, won’t you?”
“Of course! I have so much to do. Publisher events, my new book, Tianjiao work. I’m swamped! I don’t know how long Xie Qian will be away, but surely he’ll be back by the time university starts?”
Wen Ying spoke to herself, then said she had to get on with her new manuscript and would chat properly with Zou Weijun another day.
She hung up and opened her laptop.
In the Word document was the rough outline she had written over the past few days for the new book.
The first volume of the Nine Cauldrons series was Seeking Yong, about the Yongzhou Cauldron. For the second she had planned to write about the Jingzhou Cauldron and had even discussed the working title Exploring Jing with Chief Editor Ding at Shanghai Literature Press… She had already had ideas, but now, staring at the outline, her mind was completely blank.
This would not do.
Xie Qian standing her up was his business. She could not let it ruin the career she depended on.
Writing novels was not only her dream, it was currently her biggest source of income.
If she stopped writing, she would be abandoning her dream again and smashing her own rice bowl. She needed to earn money, lots of money, and build a huge reputation. Money and fame might not help in the end, but having neither would definitely make her even more useless.
Yes. She had to get on with proper work.
She had to keep herself busy so she would not spiral.
Wen Ying gritted her teeth and forced herself to start the opening of the new book.
The next day she even went into the office.
Her apparently unruffled demeanour gave Li Mengjiao the wrong impression entirely. Li Mengjiao knew something unexpected had happened and Xie Qian had missed the date, but she had no idea what. She could not reach Xie Qian either.
She did not have Zhong Yong’s or Xie Yuping’s numbers, and she had no contact with Zou Weijun.
Xie Qian had simply vanished without a word to any of his friends, exactly like the summer after middle-school graduation.
Li Mengjiao was beside herself.
Everyone could see something was wrong with Wen Ying. Her boyfriend, or almost-boyfriend, had disappeared without trace, and she was acting far too calm.
Yet nobody dared ask her directly.
On the fourth day after Xie Qian stood her up, Jiang Youjia finally rang. He said he had something to give her.
Wen Ying practically flew downstairs.
Jiang Youjia could not meet her eyes. Staring off to the side as if reciting lines, he said, “Xie Qian left the country in a great hurry. Some family matters also came up, everything’s been chaos these past few days, and I haven’t had a chance to contact you… But before he boarded, he gave me this gift and asked me to look after it. I thought about it and decided it should be in your keeping. It was always meant for you.”
He handed her the bag.
The gift was in a black silk box.
The box itself was ordinary, as though grabbed at the last minute.
But the gift inside was exquisite.
A soft pink glow spilled out.
A perfectly cut pink diamond had been crafted into cherry blossoms in early spring, shyly half-open. The first glance was stunning; the longer you looked, the more beautiful it became.
There were two blossoms. Fastened together they formed a brooch; separated, they became two individual stud earrings.
So clever.
Jiang Youjia said Xie Qian had drawn the design himself and had waited half a year for the finished piece.
“I think… Xie Qian really…”
He seemed unable to finish the sentence he had rehearsed. Wen Ying closed the lid.
“He really put his heart into it. I love the gift. But I don’t want to keep it for him. I want Xie Qian to give it to me himself.”
