“Brother Kai, you’re impressive. You’ve already made it official so quickly.”
Wen Ying fully supported Wen Kai dating.
The two had confirmed their relationship, yet Wen Kai still hadn’t told Gan Tao that he was Wen Ying’s cousin. Wen Ying thought it was no big deal. As long as they dated long enough, Gan Tao would find out eventually. Wen Ying would encourage Wen Kai to pursue love boldly, but she wouldn’t presume to teach him how to date. Every young couple has their own way of being together, and outsiders have no business interfering.
Just like Wen Ying herself, her relationship with Xie Qian had its own rhythm unique to the two of them.
To prepare a Valentine’s Day gift for Xie Qian, Wen Ying had nearly torn her hair out in frustration.
Xie Qian, by contrast, had prepared thoughtfully and with far more confidence.
It was the same restaurant where Xie Qian had once planned to confess.
The same table, the same band.
Xie Qian had even solemnly arranged for an invitation to be sent to Wen Ying.
Wen Ying felt both excited and nervous. That restaurant did not hold happy memories for her. Xie Qian had chosen it for their Valentine’s dinner, firstly to make up for the regret of his failed confession, and secondly to heal the emotional wound it had left her with.
He would never stand her up again.
So when Wen Ying arrived at the restaurant with a fluttering heart, Xie Qian was already waiting. He did not let her wait even for a moment.
On the table lay a single rose, vibrant and perfect from petal to leaf.
Xie Qian stood to pull out her chair.
In his casual suit, Xie Qian was the most striking young man in the room. The simple act of pulling out her chair was enough to make every other woman in the place envious of Wen Ying.
Only then did Wen Ying notice that Xie Qian was not in his wheelchair today.
“You…”
“Dr Joseph assessed me before the New Year. I can now walk normally without the wheelchair, as long as I avoid anything too strenuous like running or jumping.”
Wen Ying’s eyes widened at his explanation.
He had never mentioned it on the phone.
This was clearly a surprise Xie Qian had prepared. Telling her over the phone could not compare to the impact of seeing it with her own eyes.
The surprise left Wen Ying stunned and overjoyed. It set the perfect tone for the evening, and she even felt it outweighed any gift.
The Valentine’s gift Wen Ying had prepared for Xie Qian was a wallet. She had spent half a day in the mall before settling on this one. The navy blue wallet had excellent texture and a youthful style.
Wen Ying always chose gifts practically, prioritising usability.
She could afford something more expensive, but Xie Qian might never use it.
“I really like it.”
Xie Qian did not just say it. He immediately transferred every card and document from his old wallet to the new one and began using it right there.
Wen Ying could not help laughing. “Do you have to be in such a rush?”
“It means something different.”
Xie Qian said he had also prepared a gift for Wen Ying, but she would only see it after dinner. He had built her anticipation perfectly.
More than six months had passed since Xie Qian’s car accident and the night he stood her up. The restaurant staff still remembered Wen Ying.
It would have been hard to forget. Her sadness that night had left a deep impression.
Moreover, Xie Qian had booked under the same name and phone number. The restaurant’s system still held the record.
It was that same “Mr Xie” reserving a table again, complete with a live band.
Before Wen Ying arrived, the staff had even wondered whether “Mr Xie” had a new date. When she appeared, they secretly breathed a sigh of relief: so “Mr Xie” had not let his previous girl down after all.
Handsome as he was, almost unreal, he could not keep standing girls up.
Whatever the reason for the previous absence, tonight’s dinner could count as compensation.
Under the staff’s discreet observation, Xie Qian made up for that lost evening. After the meal, he took Wen Ying to see his “gift”. Driver Yang drove them to a residential complex, the lift taking them straight to the top floor.
The apartment was not yet fully decorated, only furnished with casual tables and chairs on the balcony, leaving the unbeatable night view of the Huangpu River unobstructed.
The early spring night breeze carried a chill, yet Wen Ying’s heart was warm. She stood on the balcony gazing at the river, watching beautifully lit cruise ships glide across the water, her smile radiant.
“Is this night view the gift you’re giving me?”
Seeing Wen Ying assume the Valentine’s gift was the unbeatable Huangpu River night view, Xie Qian played along. “Yes, this is my gift. Do you like it?”
The gift Xie Qian had actually prepared was the river-view apartment itself.
The paperwork was not yet complete, but what did that matter?
From the moment he bought it, Xie Qian had known the owner could only be Wen Ying.
Wen Ying had compromised again and again, giving up her dream of owning a river-view home in Shanghai. She could let it go, but Xie Qian could not.
His only worry had been how to give it to her.
With Wen Ying’s personality, she would never accept such an expensive gift.
He had planned to use Valentine’s Day to sound her out, but Wen Ying spoke first and set the tone herself, accepting only the “night view”, not the river-view apartment.
“I really like it. It’s beautiful…”
Wen Ying leaned on the balcony gazing at the view. “I always wanted to buy a place in Shanghai before. I felt a home would give me security. Now I can buy property anywhere in Shanghai, but I no longer need a house to feel secure.”
The “before” Wen Ying referred to was her previous life.
Xie Qian did not know that.
In his eyes, there was only her beautiful profile.
As she leaned on the balcony lost in the night view, the entire river’s lights could not compare to a single glance from her eyes.
She would not accept the apartment.
Fortunately, Xie Qian had a plan B. He took from his pocket a five-pointed paper star he had folded long ago.
“This is the fifth star. You’ve collected them all now. You can make a wish to me. Any wish, as long as I can grant it, I will.”
Collecting five paper stars to make one wish to Xie Qian had originally been a small way he motivated Wen Ying to improve.
The first star rewarded her clear-headed refusal of Yuan Fenghui’s performance invitation.
The second celebrated her new book gaining industry recognition.
The third she had actively claimed after ranking 92nd in her year in the monthly exams.
The fourth came after her outstanding college entrance exam results, when she demanded he show some recognition.
That time, Wen Ying had asked him to complete all five stars. Xie Qian had stubbornly left one as ongoing motivation and only gave her the fourth.
Then came the car accident. Wen Ying had no time to think about the five-star wish. Even if she had collected five early, who but Xie Qian would ever fulfil it for her?
Just when Wen Ying herself had forgotten the promise, Xie Qian took the initiative to complete the fifth star.
Since she would not accept the river-view apartment, he would give her a “wish” instead.
Wen Ying knew that if she made a wish now, she could receive something even more valuable than the apartment.
But had she not already received the most precious gift of all?
Taking the paper star from Xie Qian’s hand, she stayed true to her original heart. “I already told you my wish long ago. I want you to live a long, long life.”
“This wish…”
It was not something Xie Qian could guarantee himself. He never knew whether accidents or tomorrow would come first.
Wen Ying’s expression was serious. She had no intention of changing it.
Emotions surged in Xie Qian’s chest. From their first meeting outside his cousin Lin Lin’s villa, three years as deskmates, to the car accident that nearly separated them forever, scene after scene flashed before him.
“I promise you.”
With that, Xie Qian did what he had long wanted to do. He lowered his head and kissed Wen Ying.
